Living In The Favor of God
Part Two
4/17/05
God’s favor is a tremendous promise!
Ps. 5:11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for
joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may
rejoice in you. 12 For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; you
surround them with your favor as with a shield.
Ps. 30:4 Sing to the LORD, you saints of his; praise his holy name. 5
For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.
Noah found favor with God.
Joseph found favor with God.
Moses found favor with God.
Ruth found favor with God.
David found favor with God.
Mary found favor with God.
Elizabeth found favor with God.
Paul found favor with God.
How about you?
Does God love Noah more than you? How about
Joseph? What about Moses?
The truth is, The
Lord Jesus loves you as much as anyone on the face of the earth that is alive
now or has ever been!
Remember that God’s favor is shown in countless
ways!
Favor with man is a gift of God.
Gen. 39:19 When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This
is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger. 20 Joseph’s
master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners
were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the LORD
was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the
prison warden. 22 So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those
held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. 23
The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the LORD
was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.
1 Sam. 2:26 And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor
with the LORD and with men.
Say in your heart...
I should live my life in expectation of God’s
favor.
I should live my life in such a way to not put any
barrier between me and the favor or blessing of God.
I should live my life in such a way that if the
unexpected happens or disappointments come that I still believe that all things
work together for the good according to the promise of God.
Have you some how been convinced that God’s
favor has been lifted from your life?
Why do you feel this way?
circumstances
disappointments
set backs
difficulties
Noah, Joseph, Moses, Ruth, David, Mary,
Elizabeth, and Paul had disappointments, setbacks and difficulties--and yet
they all found favor with God!
Are you a child of God? Have you given your
live to Jesus Christ? Then trust Jesus for His favor and then look for it!
If you are a negative person struggling with doubt and unbelief, you will
have a difficult time seeing the favor of God!
Phil. 1:12 Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me
has really served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has
become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am
in chains for Christ. 14 Because of my chains, most of the brothers
in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and
fearlessly.
If you are struggling seeing God’s favor,
take a leap of faith!
“Lord I know you love me. You haven’t left me or forsaken me. I may not
understand what’s going on, but you are my Lord and Savior and I know your
favor rest on me!”
The writer of Psalms 42 and 43 knew this.
Ps. 42:5 Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put
your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and 6
my God.
This same exact verse is repeated in verse 11 and
then 43:5
It took a tremendous amount of faith, but Corrie ten Boom found the favor of
God in the midst of terrible conditions. Her Father died ten days after taken
to prison and she also lost her sister Betsie. Corrie spent four months in a
cell all alone, the loneliness was almost more than she could bear. Then came
the ant. Later on at another prison she thanked God for the fleas.
Walls that hinder the favor of God.
One of the most subtle and biggest hindrances to the favor of God is false
humility.
Col. 2:20 Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world,
why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: 21
“Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? 22 These are all
destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and
teachings. 23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom,
with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh
treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual
indulgence.
Putting yourself down is false humility.
“I’m no good.” “I can’t do anything right.” “I’m just a sinner saved by
grace.” “I don’t know how God puts up with me.”
It’s impossible to have that kind of mentality and expect the favor of God!
There’s a difference between stating a fact and wallowing in it.
Paul stated the fact...
Rom. 7:18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful
nature.
Paul never wallowed in self-pity!
Phil. 4:13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Rom. 8:37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him
who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life,
neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39
neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to
separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1 Cor. 4:3 I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court;
indeed, I do not even judge myself. 4 My conscience is clear, but
that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.
The centurion didn’t wallow in self-pity!
Mat. 8:5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for
help. 6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed and in
terrible suffering.” 7 Jesus said to him, “I will go and heal him.” 8
The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come
under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9
For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one,
‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one,’ Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do
this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he was astonished
and said to those following him, “I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone
in Israel with such great faith.
Lk. 7:4 When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This
man deserves to have you do this, 5 because he loves our
nation and has built our synagogue.” 6 So Jesus went with them. He
was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him:
“Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my
roof. 7 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to
you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.
More Walls that hinder the favor of God.
Unconfessed sin...
Ps. 32:1 Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are
covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and
in whose spirit is no deceit. 3 When I kept silent, my bones wasted
away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand
was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. 5
Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I
will confess my transgressions to the LORD”— and you forgave the guilt of my
sin.
Unforgiveness
Are you living in a situation and hinders the favor of God? I have had
couples come to me for counseling and the first problem is that they are living
together.
Doubt and unbelief...
Ja. 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously
to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But
when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a
wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not
think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a
double-minded man, unstable in all he does.