2-1-26 "The Power of Honor" Tim Newton

The congregation is invited into a posture of humble listening and steady worship, acknowledging widespread fear and woundedness while anchoring hope in the presence of Christ. Rather than offering shame for difficulty, the talk calls for repentance as a reorientation of thought — a change in how people see themselves, God, and others — so that life can flow from the inside out. Distinctions are drawn between physical, soulish (mind, will, emotions), and spiritual unity: physical and soulish bonds can be strong yet unstable or even dangerous; true, lasting unity is spiritual, founded on Christ dwelling within and producing a bedrock of life and peace.

Honor is defined practically: to look for good in others, to see their humanity, and to place their worth above quick judgment. This posture resists the culture’s urge to box opponents into nonhuman caricatures and instead insists that love and truth must coexist — truth informed by mercy and humility rather than by a legalistic pursuit of “rightness.” Righteousness is portrayed as the presence and being of God that produces right action, not merely compliance with rules that wounds and divides.

Understanding is reframed as twofold: shema — listening that learns to hear God and others — and tabunah — skillful, practical wisdom that enables faithful, clever engagement in messy contexts. Rather than trying to “fix” society, the call is to enter it bearing the life of Jesus, exercising peacemaking, mercy, and patient skill. Peace becomes a diagnostic: when peace is absent, it signals a need for repentance or recalibration. The closing appeal invokes James’ description of godly wisdom — pure, peace-loving, gentle, merciful, impartial — and sends listeners out to be peacemakers who plant seeds of righteousness in a world that urgently needs the life Jesus brings.

---

Key Takeaways

• 1. Unity springs from the Spirit True unity starts where Christ dwells, not with shared opinions or proximity. Spiritual unity allows people who disagree politically or culturally to remain bound by a deeper reality: the life of Jesus in their hearts. That unity tolerates difference without compromise of love and becomes the basis for mission into a fractured world. [46:44]
• 2. Honor looks for the good Honor chooses to seek what is noble and praiseworthy in others, resisting the devil’s tactic of dehumanizing opponents. This is not naiveté or flattery but a disciplined truth-telling mixed with mercy that preserves relationships and opens space for transformation. Looking for good breaks cycles of condemnation and readies soil for gospel fruit. [60:17]
• 3. Understanding begins with listening Real understanding (shema) requires learning to hear God and people before acting, and skillful wisdom (tabunah) turns that listening into practical, creative response. Listening prevents premature judgment, reveals hidden complexities, and provides the raw material for wise action in conflicted circumstances. Cultivating this habit guards against reactive “whack-a-mole” responses and builds credibility. [64:09]
• 4. Peace signals need for repentance Inner peace is a barometer of spiritual health; when peace is absent, it points to misplaced trust, fear, or a wrong way of thinking that needs repentance. Repentance here is cognitive and spiritual — reorienting perception to God’s reality so life can flow outwardly. Pursuing peace reshapes mission strategy and sustains endurance in hostile settings. [55:24]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:20] - Opening Prayer & Worship Instructions
• [11:42] - Corporate Praise
• [23:18] - Worship Reflection
• [28:51] - Psalm 34 and Boldness
• [40:14] - Introducing Honor
• [42:44] - Three Kinds of Unity
• [46:44] - Spiritual Unity Defined
• [50:48] - Put On the New Nature (Colossians)
• [55:24] - Peace as an Indicator
• [59:02] - What Honor Looks For
• [64:09] - Understanding: Listen and Skill
• [71:38] - Car Analogy: Listening First
• [77:39] - Prayer and Mission to the World
• [80:19] - Blessing and Send-Off

Here is a Bible study guide based on the sermon summary:

Bible Reading

Colossians 3:10-14 (ESV)
> and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all and in all. Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

James 3:17-18 (ESV)
> But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Observation questions

1. The sermon talked about different kinds of unity: physical, soulish, and spiritual. What are some examples of how physical or soulish unity can be strong but also unstable or even dangerous? [43:07]
2. The sermon highlighted that true unity is spiritual, founded on Christ dwelling within. How does Colossians 3:11 describe the diversity of people who can be united in Christ?
3. The sermon defined honor as looking for good in others and seeing their humanity. What does Philippians 4:8 suggest we should think about to cultivate this posture? [59:33]
4. The sermon presented peace as a diagnostic tool, indicating a need for repentance when it's absent. What does James 3:17-18 say about the characteristics of wisdom that leads to peace and righteousness?

Interpretation questions

1. The sermon distinguished between "righteousness" as the presence of God and "rightness" as adherence to rules. How can a focus on "rightness" lead to pride and a missed recognition of God's work, as the sermon suggests? [01:01:25]
2. The sermon explained that understanding involves both *shema* (listening) and *tabunah* (skillful wisdom). How does the car mechanic analogy illustrate the importance of both listening and skillful application in diagnosing and addressing problems? [01:10:28]
3. The sermon suggested that when peace is absent, it signals a need for repentance, which is a reorientation of thought. How might a constant exposure to negative or fear-based sources of information lead to a loss of peace, as mentioned in the sermon? [56:14]
4. The sermon challenged the idea of making "monsters" out of people we disagree with, urging us to see their humanity. How does the story of the ICE agents illustrate the danger of putting people into boxes and the potential for love to flow when we see their humanity? [01:14:00]

Application questions

1. The sermon emphasized that true unity springs from the Spirit, where Christ dwells within us, not from shared opinions or proximity. In what specific ways can you intentionally seek to build spiritual unity with someone in your life who holds different political or cultural views? [48:09]
2. The sermon encouraged us to practice honor by looking for the good in others, resisting the urge to dehumanize them. Can you identify one person this week with whom you tend to be quick to judge, and intentionally practice looking for something noble or admirable in them? [01:00:17]
3. The sermon defined understanding as involving both listening (*shema*) and skillful wisdom (*tabunah*). When faced with a difficult situation or disagreement this week, how can you prioritize listening to God and the people involved before jumping to a solution or reaction? [01:04:09]
4. The sermon stated that inner peace is a barometer of spiritual health, and its absence signals a need for repentance. Reflect on a recent situation where you felt a lack of peace; what might that lack of peace be indicating about your thinking or trust that needs reorienting? [55:24]
5. The sermon called us to be peacemakers who plant seeds of righteousness. What is one practical way you can actively sow seeds of peace and righteousness in a challenging or fractured environment you will encounter this week? [01:19:45]
6. The sermon encouraged us to clothe ourselves with mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Which of these qualities do you feel God is calling you to intentionally cultivate more deeply in your interactions this week, and how might you practice it? [52:42]