HOW TO RESPECT EVERYONE

Pastor Dennis Clanton

Woodland Church

Sunday, September, 21, 2025

(Ephesians 4:29, NLT) “Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.”

I WANT TO USE MY WORDS TO HEAL RATHER THAN HURT

(James 1:19–20, NLT) “Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.”

(James 5:12, NLT) “But most of all, my brothers and sisters, never take an oath, by heaven or earth or anything else. Just say a simple yes or no, so that you will not sin and be condemned.”

(Matthew 5:33–37, NLT) “Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one.”

1.  I MUST LEARN TO SEE PEOPLE AS GOD DOES

(1 Samuel 16:7, NLT) “The Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

(John 7:24, GN) “Stop judging by external standards, and judge by true standards.”

(Acts 10:28, Message) “Peter addressed them, “You know, I’m sure that this is highly irregular. Jews just don’t do this—visit and relax with people of another race. But God has just shown me that no race is better than any other.”

LAP – Respect begins when I see people as image bearers of God

2.  I LEARN WHEN I LISTEN TO OTHERS

(Ecclesiastes 9:17, Voice) “It is better to hear the soft-spoken words of a wise person than the rant of a tyrant in the company of fools.”

(Proverbs 14:10, NLT) “Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can fully share its joy.”

a.  Listen to their worries.

b.  Listen to their objectives.

c.  Clarity and character will reveal itself.

d.  Listening is work.

• Most people remember what they think someone else said.
• Mirror! Mirror on the wall!
• Learn to accurately paraphrase what the other person said.

LAP – Respect grows as I learn to stand in someone else’s shoes.

3.  ASK GOD, “HELP ME GET REAL WITH MYSELF

(Psalm 139:23–24, NLT) “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”

a.  How do you feel about yourself?

b.  How do you feel about your life?

c.  How do you feel about your worth?

d.  Own up to your own junk.

e.  Where are you going?

f.  Why are you going there?

g.  Who is going with me?

h.  How will I get there?

LAP – Respects begins when I humble myself before the LORD.

4.  GOD’S GOAL IS TO SAVE US AND BRING US TOGETHER AS FAMILY

(Colossians 3:11, LB) “In this new life one’s nationality or race or education or social position is unimportant; such things mean nothing. Whether a person has Christ is what matters, and he is equally available to all.”

LAP – Respect isn’t optional, we honor one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.

(1 Corinthians 12:13, 27, NLT) “Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. … All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.”

GROWTHWORK

1.  See people as God does.

2.  Learn to listen well.

3.  Be honest with yourself.

4.  A passionate follower of Christ is a fully participating member of a local church.