Thou shall rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the Lord. Leviticus 19:32.

Thou shall not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: (but) in righteousness shall thou judge thy neighbour. Leviticus 19:15. Here, the word of God instructs of doing all things without partiality, without preferring one before another – to be just in any matter between the poor or rich, not giving right to the wrong person or to condemn the just for whatever reason which does not related with the text before us this morning. 1Timothy 5:21.

Wherever you see the word honour in the bible, it also speaks of respect. For example, the bible commands to render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour – that is to give respect to whomsoever respect is due. Give respect to those in the authority, even if they are unbelievers, they are appointed by God, their authority comes from him – if you despise – dishonour those in the authority, you despises – dishonour God.

It is a dishonourable act against God, if we rebel against any of the authority of the land which is not against the word and will of God. As a child of God, you should not speak evil of the ruler of your people (Acts 23:5), but to pray for them, and to respect the person and position of those placed by God over you in the nation’s administration and public sectors – be not aggressive, jealous or rude to them because they are representing God in the position they occupy. Romans 13:7. Note: respect is something everyone deserves (whosoever despises his neighbour sins. Proverbs 14:21), always, respect is something everyone should first go about giving to someone – do unto others – believers or unbelievers as you want them to do unto you. Matthew 7:12.

Respect should be reciprocal, it is an honour not befitting for an unreasonable, arrogant or disrespectful fools. Respect is a behavioural seed we sow into the life of other people by the way we approach, relate and talk with them or response to them, but when we can’t reap what we sown in them, we should stop giving honour to a fool – it s not fitting for them – as snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, so honour is not seemly for a fool. Proverbs 26:1.

Everyone deserves to be respected, except like the children of Ammon lose total respect David had for their father by their undignified comportments and treatments of David’s servants (2 Samuel 10:1-6) or the fool who thinks he’s wise in his own sight (Proverbs 26:12), or the fool who continues to act foolishly, and will not receive instructions for correction – like one who binds the stone in the sling is one who gives honour to a fool. Proverbs 26:8.

There are good and bad men everywhere – believers or unbelievers. Everyone – male or female, irrespective of their country, colour, social, financial, academic or whatever statute in life deserves and should be given respect as the creature of God – honour all men. 1 Peter 2:17. The poor man should not be disrespected because he is poor – he who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker. (Proverbs 17:5. They should not be looked down upon, not in the world, neither in the church: do not despise or oppress the poor man because he is poor – God makes rich and makes poor, he has established Zion, and in her his poor people will find refuge. Isaiah 14:32. Proverbs 22:22. Note: those who are saved and called to walk in the love of God in Christ Jesus, and to do all things by love, should know that love is not puffed up for whatever reason (beauty, wisdom, knowledge, wealth, position in the church or world, power or graces received as gifts from God), but in honour and respect, will consider other better than themselves – in honour preferring one above another – this is the mind of Christ, this is one of the principles of spiritual culture of respect. Romans 12:10.

You must show and give respect to all men, until the prideful and foolish reveals that they are not worthy of the respect shown to them: blinded by pride or by lack of empathy to despise the wisdom of humility, they become extremely unpleasant to oversteps boundaries in human relations, and to be found nasty for their lack of respect to others as they lose respect due to them. To give honour or respect to the fool doesn’t make them respectful or wise, though thou should bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him. Proverbs 27:22.

Pride will make anyone to lose honour before God the same way Satan lose the honour given by God to minister in heaven as the anointed Cherub that covers before the throne – before man, one can lose respect as the bible commands us not to give respect to arrogant man or woman – blessed is that man that makes the Lord his trust, and respects not the proud. Psalms 40:3. None deserves respect that has not first shown it from their manner of approach and way of speaking to other people. How do you speak and behave foolishly yet demands respect from others? Those who are demanding respect, but are not respectful, must be shown how to earn it, either by stern correction or by devaluation just as God made Satan lose his position and honour, devalued and cast him out of heaven for his failure to respect to the God of heaven and earth – God resist the proud. 

The bible speaks of equality of genders, that there’s no difference to the means of salvation between Jew and Gentile, bond or free, male or female, all are saved by grace, we are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:27-28: (b) it also speak about the position of creation and conjugal authority of man as the head of his wife which demand the wife to honour, by obeying her husband, even as Sarah reverence Abraham, calling him lord. I Peter 1:6: (c) the honour received by the husband from his wife should be given back to her as deserves- likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. 1 Peter 3:7.  

Except the foolish man, whose ways are not pleasing to God and is living in the paradise of fools, none will give honour to the odious -unbearable woman, whom the bible says the earth cannot bear. Proverbs 30:23. Should she not be honoured or otherwise according to the wisdom coming out from her mouth, and in accordance to the law of kindness which comes out from her tongue and her own works praise her in the gates? Proverbs 31:26-31. Queen Vashti, being deceived by her beauty become dishonourable when by her disobedient, openly refused the king’s request at the feast to come out to greet his guests. Was not her place as a wife and position as queen given to Esther, a respectable and respectful woman, to the intent that every man should bear rule in his own house, all the wives shall give to their husbands’ respect, both to great and small. Esther 1:20-22. Note: whosoever lack respect for others (wife, husband, neighbours, children, bosses at work etc), not only lose their own values, but have lost any present and future favour – a gracious woman (with politeness and decent or good manners) retains honour. Proverbs 11:16.

Don’t talk anyhow to an elderly person, but respect them as you would your own parents at home. Respect and protect the dignity and purity of a young woman as you would your proper younger sister at home. 1Timothy 5:1-2. Respect should be given to our old parents until the end of their sojourn on earth die: this is the best and only way to pay them back for the labour bestowed to raise us up – listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old. Proverbs 23:22.

The man or woman who will not increasingly give respect and honour to their aged parents, but despises them because of their waning age problems and declining strength is incurring divine curse upon them. The command to honour your father and mother that your days may be long on earth is to respect them in your conduct, word, action and reaction till they die – the eye that mocks at his father, and despises to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it. Proverbs 30:17.

Today, we are living in a generation where moral principles of divine respect is rapidly dwindling and fading away. This is the arrogant and very disrespectful generation where everyone is blindly equal to rob shoulder to shoulder, speak anyhow,  thinks they are free to say anything rudely or mockery to feel equal, better or on top in the name of the freedom of speech – there is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up. There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men. Proverbs 30:13-14.

Except we repent to change our wardrobe – outfits, there is another sin God will not pardon and ruled out to punish as implication of many  souls from the church into hell – an iniquity on earth which is the lack of proper respect to cover the body he has given us – to partially uncover the body or fully exposed the body before others with the clothing of harlot (Proverbs 7:10) that others may see our delicate and sexual hot  parts, except our spouse, is to cause others to lusts, to cause others to sin in their hearts. It is punishable and damnable – and it shall come to pass in the day of the Lord’s sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king’s children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel. Zephaniah 1:8.

After the fall, Adam and Eve, having discovered their physical nakedness, sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons to cover up (Genesis 3:7) but was seen by God as improper and inadequate clothing. Therefore, God made Adam and his wife coats of skins, and clothed them in a manner presentable and respectful. Genesis 3:21. As a child of God, do you dress to cover properly in a manner respectful and presentable before God and man? Note: those who are partially covering their body to dress in an improper manner in the church or in the world have sew to themselves apron from the fig leaves for improper clothing, showing no respect or honour for their earthly body, neither any respect or care for the moral impact or implication of their disrespectful dressing before others. How will God honour them with a glorious house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens, seeing they have shown no respect to the present earthly body and care less for the opinion of others which God is much concerned about? Woe unto the world because of offences. For it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! Matthew 18:7.

Twenty years and two back in Amsterdam, I knew a family where the mother daily goes to bathing room with his son of seventeen years old of age. This act is unbiblical and a show of total lack of respect to both of them (a) for the mother as one who weaned him (b) the son, as to be seeing the nakedness of her that bears him. The moral and ethical boundary between son and mother, daughter or father (if male is involved) is broken. This is an appearance of evil – it is indeed ungodly. Calls it a family or European culture, it is immoral and sinful, full of the lusts of the eyes and of the flesh – an evil and condemnable practice of a lifestyle before God.

It is absolutely disrespectful to the children for a father to allow any of his grown up sons or daughters to be allowed to see his nakedness day in and out as of its normal, to walk around in the house completely naked. A mother walking around in the house without brazier to cover her chest before her grown up boys is also very disrespectful to herself and adults boys in the sight of God – disgustful and abominable.

Noah got drunk and got naked under the influence of alcohol, while his youngest son, Ham the father of Canaan, saw the drunken nakedness of his father and laughed and mockingly talked about it about it because it doesn’t say anything to him: but his eldest brothers, seing and hearing of the mockery and disrespectful behavior of their brother, went wisely into their father’s room in backward steps with a big cloth to cover his nakedness, avoided to see his naked private part. When Noah got sober, he was conscious of the respective disrespectful and respectful actions and reaction of his three sons in his state of drunkenness. He cursed Ham and his descendant for dishonoring him, blessed the other two boys for their individual’s action of respect shown towards him: and Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. And he said, blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. Genesis 9:24-27.

Though we are teaching and reminding our children at home to stand up against any disrespectful behaviors and speeches of men and women at school, or at work, or at public places against them, not to allow anyone to bully them, but should politely stand up for their right, they should also be taught not to be disrespectful for other people, or to make mockery of anyone for whatever reason.

The disrespectful forty two children were cursed by the newly anointed man of God who has just received the double portion of his master’s anointing, to teach others that strangers or known individuals should be respected and not be mocked by their deformity or infirmity. Either they were badly educated by their parents, or they refused to listen to their parents, had shown no regard of respect for anyone, had spoken senselessly, laughed and mocked of anything and everything, with no expectation of any consequence or rebuke from anyone, having no respect or fear of parents, neither of God or of anyone. It was their reward day when they met Elisha,  they mocked and disrespected the man of God for his bald head, but he teach them a good lesson on how and why they should have a respect for anyone, either beautiful, ugly or disable: they were cursed to die on the same day – and he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head. And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them. 2 Kings 2:23-24.

We all are brethren in the Lord, but God has placed certain men and women over us as the caretakers and under-shepherds, to teach and guide us in our spiritual growth, to help us in the battles and journey to heaven. They must give accounts of our respectful mannerisms and cooperation or of our rebellious and prideful resistance against them which will not be profitable before God to our account. The word ‘to esteem them highly in love’ for their work’s sake, speaks of the respect expected from the believer to the faithful, good pastors and church elders who are truly laboring over you in the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 5:13. Hebrews 13:17.

There is no room for rudeness from anyone in the church. Everyone should learn and know how to behave themselves in a respectful manner, in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. 1 Timothy 3:5. There should not be any room for rudeness (warn the unruly. 1 Thessalonians 5:17) or lordship over others from the leaders in the church for whatever reason. The leader or follower in the church should have mutual respect for one another; everyone should know their place in the Lord, submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. 1 Peter 5:1-5.

Howsoever, every relationship whatsoever have a boundary and crossing over the boundary is to disrespect those involve. And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the Lord was with him. Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him. But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them. The good leaders, by their good examples will act respectfully, being respectable to be respected like David behaved himself wisely and was loved and respected by all the Israelis – 1 Samuel 18:14-16. This text simply implies that David directs his affairs in meekness of wisdom, respectful and being respected and loved by all. Have you lately met with a true humble man? Surely, he should be a respectful and respectable man who knows his limits before others and will not cross over it in any relationships before friends, boss, servants, brethren, family members, colleagues, husband, wife, children, neighbors, strangers etc. Even Jesus knows his own limit on earth, lest he should be disrespected, he will not meddle with another’s family’s issues of sharing of inheritance (Luke 12:14), lest he become like a man who hold the dog by its ear, calling for trouble and to be disrespected by others – he that passes by, and meddles with strife belonging not to him, Is like one that takes a dog by the ears. Proverbs 26:27.

Timothy as a young, but a diligent and faithful preacher was admonished by his spiritual father to make sure that he conducts himself in a respectable manner in the church, that no man should be allowed to despise his youth, but rather to respect him, by seeing his examples from good leadership – let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. 1Timothy 4:12.

The word ‘obeisance’ in the bible is sign of respect (to bow – a courtesy; an act of respect made by an inclination of the body or the knee) which has nothing to do to make someone a god in your life. In my culture of Yoruba from Nigeria (which I think the practice is biblical), you don’t look at your parents eye balls to eye balls when you are being reproved or corrected – you should prostrate as a boy or your two knees on the ground as a girl to greet them – this is a sign of respect or honor to the parents. Whatever you become in life or life offers you (great, rich and influential), you will never be greater or equal with your parents that bring you into this world, which means they should always be respected in all things. Sometimes, they become old and blind, but while greeting them, you remind them that you are on your knees as a sign of respect and honor, they’ll then ask you to stand up, and they speak blessing and thank you for the honor given, though they can’t see.

Try to learn respect and humility from the wisest and the most richest king on earth, bowed his head in respect to her mother when she come into his palace – Bathsheba therefore went unto king Solomon, to speak unto him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her, and bowed himself unto her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a seat to be set for the king’s mother; and she sat on his right hand. 1 Kings 2:19.

Indeed, salvation is of the Jews because they have enormous and awesome respectful culture, custom and divine principles of respect for the elders and for one another. For examples (a) when Rebecca first met Isaac, learning that he was her husband, she lifted up her eyes, and she lighted off the camel (true humility which should be the first vital sign of respect): for she had said unto the servant, what man is this that walks in the field to meet us? And the servant had said it is my master: therefore she took a veil, and covered herself. Genesis 24:64-65: (b) Jacob, by giving instruction to his servants on how to address his eldest brother, saying thus shall ye say unto my lord Esau: thus says thy servant Jacob, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed until now was not partially a flattering title, but an acknowledgement of the respect due to the first born, even if it was just a second or a minute of time, day (s), months or year (s) of differences that separates them from the womb. Genesis 32:3: (c) you don’t look down on people to disrespect them because they are going through hard period of season in life, but this did Nabal, the husband of Abigail, the rich foolish man, who was killed by God because of his disrespectful  behaviors, words and speeches against David’s person during his trying period: but the respectful and comfortable words of Abigail saved her from David’s wrath, sword and vengeance against her entire household: not only this, after the death of her husband, David called for her to marry her, her humility shown by her respectful words as one not qualified to become David’s wife, but someone low enough to be cleaning the shoes of David’s servants, earns her a respectable place and name among the wives of David. If David has been asking God for a beautiful, wise and respectable and respectful woman for a wife, he has found one in Abigail – a woman worth to fight to have, and to be recovered from the raid and onslaught of the Amalekites after his marriage with her. 1 Samuel 30: verse 5 and 18.

For parental blessing, the order of birth must be respected, except it is by divine order or from personal error such as Esau sold his birthright to his younger brother. Respect for the firstborn and whosoever is older than you is of necessity, Ephraim should not be set above Manasseh, the younger above the oldest, nor Solomon set up above Adonijah for the throne, except it is from the Lord. Genesis 48. 1 Kings 2:13-15.

You should respect those who have been in the Lord before you come into the kingdom. The culture, custom and principle of the kingdom of God is a culture, custom and spiritual principle of respect – to respectfully acknowledge those who are over you in the Lord and those who are before you in the Lord, not being blinded or puffed up by exterior beauty or persuasive ability to speak as an oracle of God, money or spiritual gifts – Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellow-prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me. Romans 16:7.

Christ say, my Father is greater than I. John 14:28. Even with God, like Christ respect the Father, our familiarity with God should not breed contempt for him (wherefore the Lord God of Israel says, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me forever: but now the Lord says, be it far from me; for them that honor me I will honor, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.1 Samuel 2:30. None should fail to give God the entire respect and honor due unto his name – holy and reverence is his name. We must serve him with great awe -reverential respect, serving him acceptably with reverence and godly fear. If you are honoring God with your mouth, but your lifestyle is disrespecting him, because you will not sanctify him in your heart, this is hypocrisy, a damnable offense to be punished by the King of heaven and earth – this people honor me with their mouth, but their heart is far from me. What a double life?