God Will Honor Those Who Honor Him — Zac Poonen

Eli’s Failure to Honor God Above His Children

There is a verse in 1 Samuel chapter 2 Which has been a very favorite verse of mine for a very long time. It's actually a very small part of that verse. 1 Samuel chapter 2 and It's referring to God speaking to a backslidden high priest called Eli.

It says in 1 Samuel 2 in verse 27 A man of God came to Eli who was the high priest at that time and Said to him thus says the Lord Didn't I reveal myself to the house of your father? Because Eli Descended from Aaron, you know and Aaron was given the promise that his descendants would continue to be high priest priests.

So Eli became a high priest because of that physical relationship with his ancestor Aaron and I chose them to all burn incense and all that. But Eli was a very careless high priest. He allowed his sons he had a couple of sons who Would steal the sacrifices brought by the the meat brought by the people as an offering to God and they would fool around with the women who was serving there and Eli was a very mild type of father and He would say oh This is something not good that you people are doing see what he says in 1 Samuel chapter 2 and verse 23 This is a father Who's rebuking his children for stealing the Lord's property and fooling around with women in the temple?

Oh, why do you do these things? I hear no my sons. The report is not good, which I hear from the Lord's people verse 24 one man sins against another God immediate for him, but if a man sins against the Lord who can intercede for him and He didn't say you sons get out of here.

I'm not gonna have you in my house, and I will not allow you anywhere near the temple. Go and fend for yourselves. That's what he should have done. That's what a good high priest would have done but he was.

He favored his children, and I've seen numerous believers in my life who favor their children. Numerous elders who favor their children they don't correct them and rebuke them when they do something wrong.

It's a great warning Eli and So he tells him in verse 29 Why do you kick at my sacrifice. You have honored your sons middle of verse 29 more than me. They have honored a human being. It's more than God.

It may be your son. It may be your daughter. It may be your wife. It may be your husband someone Whom you don't want to offend and so honor means what did he do. He didn't Give them some sacrifice or something.

He just didn't want to hurt them. They were doing something completely wrong, and he did not correct them. He didn't want to hurt them. And I tell you that tendency is there in a lot of Believers who don't fear God and that's one reason why the vast majority of Christian leaders and pastors their children have gone astray just like Eli and The sad thing is even though This man came and rebuked Eli and Later on God spoke to Samuel you see in the next chapter chapter 3.

The Lord said to Samuel in chapter 3 in verse 11 I'm going to do a thing in Israel at which the years of everyone who hears it will turn tingle. I'm gonna carry out my judgment against Eli. I'm gonna judge verse 13 his house forever.

Because his sons brought a curse on Themselves and the father did not rebuke. He loved his children more than he loved the Lord and There are numerous believers like that. I've seen in my life the number one cause of a lot of young people in God-fearing in Christian families that go astray is Because the parents loved the children more than they loved Jesus Christ.

And therefore they were not disciples. Jesus said if you love your children more than me you can't be my disciple if you love your Parents more than me. You can't be my disciple. There are very few true disciples.

True disciples are those who love Christ more than their wife more than their Husband more than their children more than any relative more than anybody. They will not compromise to please any human being and So the Lord told Samuel I'm his sons verse 13 chapter 3 verse 13 The last part brought a curse on them and he did not rebuke them.

So his sins can never be atoned by any sacrifice. And Samuel went and told that to Eli as a he's a young boy. Years later Samuel grew up and he became the prophet and the judge in Israel and it says here in Chapter 8.

1 Samuel chapter 8 when Samuel was old he appointed his sons Judges over Israel as a word in English for this called nepotism. Partiality towards somebody you care for and love. Even if they are not fit for the job.

You put them the Samuel sons were not at all fit to be judges like Samuel himself was. Because it says here in verse 3 of 1 Samuel 8 His sons did not walk in the father's ways. They turned aside After dishonest gain.

In other words, they took bribes was three and They favored the guy who gave them a bribe just like in many corrupt courts. Judges do this is Samuel sons and remember Samuel is the one who rebuked. Whom the Lord said to rebuke Eli for the way Eli brought up his sons.

And that shows that you can correct somebody else and not correct your own children. Samuel is a classic example of that and Even though he was a great prophet and there are many anointed people whose children are wayward and in the New Testament in the Old Testament, which is not such a big thing because the family Behavior did not disqualify you from being a prophet.

But in 1 Timothy 3 it says in Titus chapter 1 it says if a man's children are not believers He's totally unfit to serve God. He's totally unfit to be an elder. It's very very much more strict in the New Covenant now that word is not followed by most churches because most of the pastors would have to resign if you followed that rule and They they completely ignore scripture.

It's one of the major areas where I've seen Churches completely ignore scripture, which says if your children are going astray you have no right to be a pastor or leader. Imagine how many churches would have to remove their pastors?

But they don't care for the Word of God in 1 Timothy 3 or in Titus chapter 1 so Samuel was like that they're going back to the Old Testament and That's why most churches live under the Old Covenant the leaders are like Old Covenant people and Here it says What the reason I want you to see the reason why Samuel's children went astray.

See In Eli's case, we know he was not strong enough to rebuke them. I believe Samuel also was not strong enough to rebuke him. Many fathers are so kind and gentle that they let the devil take over their children and they just keep quiet imagine what they will realize when they stand finally in eternity and see their children burning in hell and they realize that Just for the sake of some not offending them on earth.

They lost their children for eternity. I mean I find very few people who speak so strongly like that as I do in this matter and The reason I speak strongly is because I don't want anybody to lose their children and be separated from their children for all eternity.

Parents in heaven and the children in hell for eternity many people don't realize how serious that is anyway. We read that the reason Samuel one reason anyway, why his children went astray is Turn to 1 Samuel chapter 7.

It says in verse 15 Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life and Every year he used to go on and traveling from Bethel to Gilgal and Mespa and he judged all these places and many many other places and then he would come to Rama where his house was and Then he would go back again he was on a constant tour he was a traveling preacher and prophet and He neglected his own children.

There are many preachers who travel like that who Neglect their own children and The next verse it says that his children went astray. So there's a connection there between his Constant traveling and his children not Chapter 8 verse 3 not walking in his ways.

The Seriousness of Neglecting Children

So coming back to chapter 2 The Lord said to Eli Because you honored your work chapter 2 verse 29. Yes honored your sons more than me. I want to ask you dear brothers and sisters. Do you honor anyone in your family?

More than the Lord do you see your wife doing something wrong and you never say anything because Might hurt her. Leading the children in a wrong way the way your wife is doing something or the way your husband is doing something.

But you say well, it's it's not so serious. Yeah, you keep saying that one day your children will be in hell. It's not so serious. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. There are so many older people today.

I come across so many of them whose children are gone astray and they wish They had been a little more strict with them when they were younger. If your children are only one or two years old you're lucky to be able to hear this message.

Because that's the age when you got to start working with them. They got to recognize the importance of submitting to authority. What is the cause of the first. What is what brought sin into the universe right at the beginning?

Rebellion Against Authority as the Origin of Sin

It was not Adam and Eve disobeying God. You have to understand the origin of sin the origin of sin. Was the highest angel? Who's known as Lucifer? We don't know his real name. That's just a Latin title.

They're given in one Isaiah chapter 14, but you read it in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 when the highest angel Was already the highest angel all all Created beings were underneath him. He rebelled against the only person above him.

That was God. Rebellion against authority was the first sin in the universe and when. By the way in Ezekiel 28, it says the first Inhabitant of the Garden of Eden was not Adam. It was this highest angel Lucifer.

It says that in Ezekiel 28 you take time to read it when you were in the Garden of Eden God tells this angel. So you that's where he was and then he was cast out from there. Into from the third heaven to the second heavens where he is.

Now we read about battling with people in the heavenlies. That's where Satan is. He was cast out from there. He had access to Eden on earth. But when he saw somebody else replacing him in Eden that is Adam and Eve.

He was determined to get them also out of Adam out of Eden and he succeeded. How did he succeed with the same sin that he himself committed? Don't just think it is a matter of eating something God had forbidden.

That is the elementary way of people read it. It was the same sin that Lucifer committed. Rebellion against authority. Lucifer rebelled against authority and became the devil and He tempted Adam attempted Eve rather.

Come on, I know God is an authority over you, but you don't have to listen to him. You know what? He told him you read in Genesis 3 you can be like God. That is the same temptation. He was. He was tempted with an Isaiah 14.

He wanted to be like God and he tells Eve Genesis 3 5 you will be like God. That is the essential temptation many people haven't seen it in Genesis 3. The only say you she went and take fruit from that forbidden tree.

That's true but it was rebellion against authority and The temptation to become like God to have the authority and power of God and the knowledge and wisdom of God. You'll be like that. The same thing and throughout the ages I've seen that's how the devil comes to tempt people to rebel against God's authority and Where do we where does it begin.

It begins with little children when they Don't obey parents and The parents say Oh darling, it's okay. The mother or father will say oh, it's okay. Don't don't just don't don't spank him. It's not so bad.

One parent says that and the other parent listens to it. That's the way to train your children to go to hell. You got to be very strict there and if your wife or your husband is lenient you say sorry darling I can't listen to you.

I don't want my child to go to hell. I've seen enough children grow up and go to hell and I don't want my children to go in that that route. I Have to teach that child Submission to authority the first sin in the universe rebellion against authority and That's why in the commandments that God gave.

Honoring Parents Under the Ten Commandments

You know, there were ten commandments for the first four are in relationship to God. I'm the Lord your God and you have no other gods, but me. Second don't have any idols. Third don't take the Lord's name and win and fourth keep the Sabbath day holy and Then comes to the second tablet of stone which had six commandments.

Which are related to man. The first was relating to love God and the second was really in loving man. Loving your neighbor as yourself. The two tablets symbolize these two statements of God love your God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself and the first commandment in the second tablet was commandment number five was Honor your father and mother.

Long before I mean much before you come to the other ones like don't kill don't don't murder. Don't commit adultery and don't bear false witness. You would think one of those things should come on top.

No. Don't murder. Don't commit adultery are all further down. Children must honor their father and mother because that is the only Commandment among the ten which has a promise attached to it. Did you know that?

Says in Ephesians 6 the only commandment with a promise attached to it. All the other commandments didn't have a promise. But the fifth commandment the first in the second tablet honor your father and mother as a promise attached to it, it will go well with you and You will live long on the earth.

Live long means you'll live as long as God wants you to live. You want your life won't be cut short. It may be 30 years or 33 like Jesus or whatever it is or 95 like Adam or 30 like James the Apostle.

But you will complete your earthly course. Honor your father and mother. Another the father and mother have got to the child does not know how to read that fifth commandment who's going to teach that child the father and mother and it's very easy to hear all these things like Samuel and not practice them.

It's a great warning and So it's in connection with this failure of Eli it says the glory of God departed from Israel. Because Eli failed to bring up his children in a godly way. And I see that everywhere.

It's gradually coming into our churches to where parents are not so strict in Teaching their children the fear of God teaching their children to stay away from things which are going to be harmful for them and Being very strict and teaching their children never to tell lies.

There were only two things that I insisted with my own children. One was you have to respect and obey your parents and older people. That includes older people whoever he is and second is. Never tell a lie.

Never try to deceive me. Those are the two things I was very very strict on. Because to me that's fundamental. I hope all of your parents will Seek to do that With your children if you're fortunate if your children are still small at home.

And if they are under two years old good time to begin. Teach them from the age of one the meaning of the word no. That's the first word they need to understand. No. You can't do that. You have to obey me.

And if you do that and you seek to honor God in that way I can guarantee your children will grow up to be disciples of Jesus Christ. It's God's law. Those who honor me I will honor. That's what he comes to in verse chapter.

God’s Promise to Honor Those Who Honor Him

This is the verse I want to show you 1 samuel chapter 2 and verse 30. I had promised the Lord says 1 samuel 2 30. That your house. He's telling Eli the house of your father Will be my priests forever.

That was God's plan. But it will not be so. You know, God can have a plan for your life and it may not be fulfilled. Here's a classic example of that. I believe God has a plan for every child that is born into the world.

Even the children of especially the children of God's people. But i've seen in my lifetime. In most of the cases that plan is not fulfilled. And it's 100 because of the failure of the parents. Who do not?

Teach their children God's ways from the childhood and the Lord says If you esteem your children more than me. That's what he's saying there earlier your verse 29. You honored your children more than me.

You didn't want to offend them. You didn't want to hurt them. You didn't want to rebuke them. You didn't want to correct them. You were not strict with them. Okay well then You'll be despised by me in the last part of verse 30.

I honor only those who honor me. This is the verse I was telling you has been a very favorite verse of mine for many years. The Lord says those who honor me I will honor please remember that all your life.

1 Samuel 2 30. It's easy to remember the numbers 1 2 3 0. 1 Samuel 2 30. Uh those who honor me I will honor but those who don't honor me I will Despise them. They despise me. I despise them. So it's a very serious thing though and think of the tremendous blessing.

It is if God can honor you. And God can honor your family. I tell you it becoming a billionaire. Is rubbish compared to that? You can be a poor brother. You don't earn so much. You don't have much in your bank account.

But you're a person whom God honors. You are more blessed than all those people with their millions and billions and trillions. I it is so you'll see that in the long run if you don't see it now. You'll certainly see it when Christ comes back.

So those are the people who really? Spent their life usefully on the earth. Those who decided in every area. To honor God completely never to do anything wrong. If they pay have to pay their taxes, they will pay it exactly.

Maybe there are certain certain income you have which the irs can never find out. Okay. But God sees it you. Are you going to be honest about it? The romans 13 says we have to pay our taxes. We read that even jesus paid his taxes Through peter when the people came and asked for the temple tax.

We i'm talking about a small thing like that honoring god about being Faithful in little things. Faithful with money never to have Anything with us which we have borrowed from somebody and not returned.

Never to take advantage of anybody in any way. These are the little little things in which we honor god. I want to. Oh, I wish I could raise up Brothers and sisters in a church where everybody will seek to honor god.

Not to become great preachers. No I never in my life had an intention to be a preacher. I when I was When I first became a christian, I didn't even know the bible. I read the bible for the first time after I was born again.

And But I decided I want to honor god. I have no intention to Be a full-time worker or preacher and see that's something god called me to later and I said I want to honor god in little things. Whatever if this was the right thing to do I would do it.

I remember in the navy once. I'll give you one example. I was appointed in charge of all the boats in the naval base in one port in india and you know. All the officers like me could take the boats for our own private use provided we paid for the diesel.

That you put into the boat, you know, you pay for the fuel. But when the captain that means the commanding officer of the whole unit took the boat. Officers who worked under him would be reluctant to send him a bill for the fuel.

So, how could he show? How the boat was taken? Everybody would write Ah, the captain has gone for harbor inspection in his boat. Well, he didn't go for any harbor inspection. He went for a picnic with his family.

So he was supposed to pay but That's what every boat officer came did. Until one day I was appointed as a boat officer, I was only about 24 years old and I sent the captain a bill. First time in his life.

He gets a bill for going on a picnic. And the one who was second in command. He was a commander under the captain. Came to me and said lieutenant poonen. Don't you know didn't the earlier officer tell you what to do when the captain takes the boat?

Put it as harbor inspection I said, so he took it up for a picnic with his family. And he has to pay for it just like anybody else. Well, he couldn't say anything to that. But in half an hour, I was transferred out of my job.

I said fine. They shunted me off to another job and I said, okay I can tell you instances like that that happened in my life in the navy. Okay, it was inconvenient. And a bit humiliating to be kicked out of where I was.

And but I saw I didn't know where it was finally going to end. But the lord watched me. Doing that in different situations on the ship and in the naval base over a period of years. And then one day the lord said I'm calling you to serve me.

To quit your job. I said wow. You're calling me to serve you. What an honor. Then I realized now when I look back It wasn't just that the lord picked out some name from somewhere I saw from this verse that he is seeking to honor those who would honor him.

And I realized as I look around there are so many people Whom god could have chosen. I remember Years ago. I said lord. India has got one thousand three hundred million people. More than four times the population of the united states.

More than four times and the area is much less than the u .s. Probably one third of the u .s. And I said lord with these 1 300 million people in india, where are the profits. Don't you love india? Where are the profits in this country?

Don't haven't you called anybody? And the lord said to me yes, I did call some but I have to test them. They failed Lord. Some went after money some married the wrong person. They fell in love with somebody who was not wholehearted and Various things I test.

I don't appoint a man for his ministry before I test him through many many many situations. And then I decide whether I can trust him if he honors me. I will honor him. He doesn't honor me. I'll just set him aside.

No, he won't send him to hell, but He'll miss out on what god sent him to earth for. That's the thing that ripped my heart lord. I did not know in my unconverted days as a young man as a teenager or anything what you called me for.

But when I really got converted and became a serious christian I realized that when I was in my mother's womb God had a plan for my life. And that's true of all of you who are listening to me. Whether it'll be fulfilled or not depends on you.

It doesn't depend on god. It depends on you depends on one thing. Whether you will honor god in your life. Not by attending a meeting like this. Or giving a little money in the offering box. God's not a beggar.

And he's not bankrupt. He doesn't need your money. That's what I keep preaching. He needs people the bible says present your body as a living sacrifice not not your money. God's looking for people who will give him their body and their mind their whole personality.

And say lord You you sent me to this earth. Brought me out of my mother's womb one day. To be one who will honor you in my life. I want to do that. You gave me a family so that I could Honor you by bringing up that family in a god-fearing way and teach my children to honor you not just Feed them clothe them and educate them and get them all established in good jobs.

That's all necessary. So they don't become beggars. We don't want our children to be homeless people standing on the street asking for money. That's why we educate them. But our primary purpose is we must teach them to honor god.

Because the promise is those who honor me I will honor. I wish you'll never forget this. God doesn't honor everybody. He honors those who honor him. We must teach our children to stand up for the truth.

Even if they suffer loss. And to be different from people around around them and uh, you know in in our schools in india. It's very common for children to cheat in their final examinations. They don't study something and sometimes even the parents and send little bits of paper in their pockets with answers written down and or they encourage them to look at the Their neighbor's answer paper and copy and things when the Teacher is not looking there's a lot of that cheating going on.

One of my children I asked him once I say, you know all the children in your class. Tell me who all don't cheat because you know very well all the children know in the class who all cheats. And he said to me dad There are only two of us Who don't cheat and both of us are from cfc.

I was so delighted to hear that. Not delighted to hear that all the others were cheating but delighted to hear that. Two children from cfc were upright. They didn't they didn't bother about whether uh they were.

They got good marks or not. They wanted to do what was right, but it is wrong to cheat. In an examination. It's a small thing. But if we teach our children from the beginning. Don't cheat in anything don't cheat.

Be upright don't take what belongs to somebody else. If you borrow something return it little little things, you know honoring god is not in the big things like. Little little it's in the little things.

I mean when the children go to school, we don't tell them now don't murder anybody today. Don't commit adultery on the way home. No, those are not the things they are in small small things. Where do we teach our children obedience?

At home, first of all from early childhood. Honor your father and mother so that it may go well with you. And that you may live long on the earth. Don't you want your children to live their full term.

On the earth, whatever the length of their life is which god has planned and that's different for different ones. They're not not everybody lives up to the age of 90 or 100. But there's certain plan that god has for everyone.

For apostle john it was 95 for his own brother james. It was 30. His head was cut off and he was 30. So god's plan is different for everyone, but they completed their planned life on earth. That's what we should desire for all our children and there's only one thing you need to do.

Teach them to honor god. Honor god yourself. And don't be like eli who Does not want to hurt the children. Oh, they'll get hurt if I say this and you fathers and mothers. Don't fight with each other on this issue when you see.

One of you is strict with the children support your partner. Who's strict with the children? Because that'll be your salvation if you try to feel if the dad is trying to Discipline and punish the child don't go and stand in the way and say no.

No, no. No, no, he's a nice boy or a nice girl. Yeah, he's nice. But if he doesn't honor god god will not honor him. It's so very very important. And I remember another. One of my sons was once playing with somebody out on the streets in bangalore and they're very small five six years old.

And I saw them, you know, like children are when they fight some disagreement and they're struggling with each other and I Asked him why did you go fighting with him? And he's only five six years old.

I said he when he came fighting with me I said I don't care. If he comes fighting you're not to fight back. So I said now we got to go to his house and apologize. For what you did. He asked me what about him doesn't he had to apologize?

No I'm not bothered whether he apologizes or not. You have to apologize. So I took my son to his to this neighbor's house. And knocked at the door and that man opened the door and I said my son wants to say something to your son.

They were both five six years old. And my son said i'm sorry for fighting with you. That other boy said nothing. Okay, he came away. And my son said he he never apologized. I said I don't care if you apologize or not today.

My son is serving the lord. Where that boy is, I don't know but if he continued like that i'm sure he's on his way to hell. The father who oh I want to defend my son i'm very happy that somebody else's son came to apologize to my son.

Dear brothers take it very very seriously. The way your children behave with others I mean doesn't matter how they behave. That's none of our business. Right from day one. In our home, we must honor god never allow something into your home.

That you cannot have jesus. Approving of ask yourself everything that goes on in your home. Do you want jesus to be in your home? Then make sure you honor him and everything in your home. I'm not saying you can't have any Entertainment or so long as it's not filthy.

Even worldly sort of entertainment is okay for children. They need something. They can't be Studying their books all the time. But it must be clean. We must not have any Entertainment in our house, which is unclean or evil.

Or that dishonors god in any way. So be very careful in all these areas to learn a lesson from this that Samuel who corrected eli Did not do it for his own children. And it's possible that we hear all these things.

And we agree with it a hundred percent. And we don't practice it in our own homes you know. There is a feeling that because i'm a child of god God will do Everything automatically for me. I want to show you some verses in scripture.

Obedience to Christ’s Commands Demonstrates Love

And I want you to face up to them. Honestly the words of jesus. First of all Turn with me to john's gospel chapter 14. Please turn in your bibles to john 14 and become familiar with these verses john 14.

And I want you to read slowly carefully in your bible. And tell me if I if what i'm saying is not correct. He who has my commandments john 14 21. And keeps them. Is the one who loves me. Okay, we understand that one step at a time.

How do you know you love the lord. All of us will say we love the lord. I hope. First of all, you must have his commandments. How do you have his commandments by reading the bible. If you don't read the bible if you don't have the habit of reading the bible you will never know god's commandments.

How did I discover god's commandments. It was not revealed to me from heaven. I read the bible. I read it carefully. I read it slowly and I said lord. What do you want me to do? And Once you know them you have to keep them.

That is the proof that you love the lord not how well you sing on sunday morning. He who has my commandments and keeps them loves me. And he who reads the bible and does not keep my commandment does not love the lord.

That's what the lord says further. And if you love me you'll be loved by my father. Hey, I thought god loves everybody god. So loved the world. Do you know there are degrees of god's love? Does god love the unbelievers.

Sure John 3 16 god so loved the whole world. Does he love the terrorists? Sure, he loves the terrorists. Jesus died for the terrorists also. But then who is this person to whom it says the father loves this person.

There are degrees of god's love. There's a way in which god loves the people in the world, I mean you may love All the poor people in the world and give them some money now and then but it's not the way you love your own children.

No. You also have degrees of love. You may love your neighbor's children if they're in need you may help them but not as much as you love your children. If some neighbor down the street is child in a hospital, you won't be as concerned.

It is if your own child is in a hospital. It's not that you hate that neighbor's child you love him. But there are degrees of love even in your own family. Those who are closer to your family, maybe first cousins or Very close your brother and family are close to them.

Someone who's a little more distant family member. You don't love them so much. It's not wrong. We are human. We cannot have the same degree of love for a distant family member as we have for our own children.

That's what god also is saying god. So loved the world true. But here's a special type of person whom god loves in a much deeper way. He who has my commandments and keeps them. The father will love him and I will love him and this reveal myself to him.