What Must I Do To Find Favor With God?

SERMON TOPIC:  WHAT MUST I DO TO FIND FAVOR WITH GOD?

MESSENGER: BISHOP J. O. LAWSON:     

SCRIPTURE:  LUKE 2:40-52

FINDING FAVOR WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR SUCCESS IN THIS WORLD WHETHER YOU ARE FINDING FAVOR WITH PARENTS TO GAIN CERTAIN PRIVILEGES, FINDING FAVOR WITH EMPLOYERS TO GAIN BONUSES AND PROMOTIONS, FINDING FAVOR WITH THE RICH AND POWERFUL TO GAIN ADVANTAGES, OPPORTUNITIES  AND PERKS, AND/OR FINDING FAVOR WITH ONE’S PEERS TO GAIN ACCEPTANCE AND CAMARADERIE. LIFE CAN BE VERY UNPLEASANT AND UNPRODUCTIVE IF ONE DOES NOT FIND FAVOR WITH SOMEBODY IN THIS WORLD.

ONE MIGHT WONDER HOW ONE FINDS FAVOR WITH PEOPLE—ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO ARE IMPORTANT TO HIS/HER WELL BEING AND HAPPINESS.  TO FIND FAVOR WITH PEOPLE, I THINK ONE MUST DO THE FOLLOWING:

1.  ONE MUST SHOW ONESELF FRIENDLY TO OTHERS.
2. ONE MUST SHOW ONESELF HELPFUL TO OTHERS.
3. ONE MUST SHOW ONESELF TO BE UNSELFISH, FAIR, AND HONEST.
4. ONE MUST BE WILLING TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR FAILURES, ACKNOWLEDGING ERRORS, AND REPENTING FOR AND ASKING PARDON FOR TRANSGRESSIONS AGAINST OTHERS, NO MATTER HOW SMALL OR SLIGHT.
5. ONE MUST BE REASONABLY WELL GROOMED AND REASONABLY CLEAN, BEING PARTICULARLY CAREFUL ABOUT DENTAL HYGIENE AND PERSONAL HYGIENE.
6. ONE MUST SHOW ONESELF TO BE REASONABLY INDUSTRIOUS, HARD WORKING, AND DEPENDABLE.
7. ONE MUST BE WILLING TO SHARE HIS/HER SUCCESS WITH OTHERS AND TO COMMEND OTHERS FOR THEIR SUCCESSES.
8. ONE MUST BE COMPLEMENTARY WITHOUT FLATTERING.
9. ONE MUST SHOW CONCERN FOR OTHERS IN THEIR DIFFICULTIES AND MISFORTUNES, SHOWING AND EXPRESSING EMPATHY, REMEMBERING THAT EVERYONE MAY EXPERIENCE DIFFICULTIES AND MISFORTUNES AT TIMES.
10. AND FINALLY, ONE MUST IN GENERAL SHOW LOVE FOR PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO MATTER THE MOST TO HIMSELF/HERSELF. 

IN MY LIFETIME, I FOUND THAT THESE TEN THINGS WORKED FOR ME, NOT THAT I DILIGENTLY ADHERED TO ALL OF THEM AT ALL TIMES, BUT USUALLY I DID.  I FEEL THAT IF ALL OF US DO THE ABOVE TEN THINGS, WE WILL FIND FAVOR WITH PEOPLE AND WE WILL BE SUCCESSFUL IN THIS WORLD, FINDING SUCCESS WITH WHICH WE CAN BE HAPPY AND CONTENT, BEING ABLE TO REALIZE, ACTUALIZE, AND OPTIMIZE OUR GOD GIVEN POTENTIAL.

     ONE MIGHT ALSO WONDER HOW ONE MIGHT FIND FAVOR WITH GOD.  I THINK THAT FINDING FAVOR WITH GOD SHOULD BE OF MORE IMPORTANCE TO US THAN FINDING FAVOR WITH PEOPLE.  WHEN I THOUGHT ABOUT HOW WE MIGHT FIND FAVOR WITH GOD, I THOUGHT ABOUT CERTAIN STANDOUT CHARACTERS IN THE BIBLE AND HOW IT WAS THAT THEY FOUND FAVOR WITH GOD.  I AM NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT GRACE WHICH WE DEFINE AS GOD’S UNMERITED FAVOR TOWARD US, A GIFT OF GOD, BY WHICH WE MAY BE AND ARE SAVED.  MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN AND ARE SAVED, BUT I DID NOT AND DO NOT SEE THEM HAVING HAD OR HAVING ANY PARTICULAR OUTSTANDING FAVOR WITH GOD.  NOAH FOUND SALVATION GRACE DURING THE FLOOD, BUT GOT DRUNK AFTERWARDS, SHAMING

HIMSELF AND DISPLEASING GOD.  LOT HAD SALVATION GRACE IN SODOM AND GOMORRAH, BUT I DO NOT SEE WHERE HE HAD ANY GREAT FAVOR WITH GOD, SINCE HE GOT DRUNK AND HAD CHILDREN BY HIS OWN DAUGHTERS.  DAVID HAD SALVATION GRACE, AND SOME SAY THAT HE WAS A MAN AFTER GOD’S OWN HEART, BUT DAVID FAILED GOD OFTEN.  GOD WOULD NOT EVEN LET DAVID BUILD HIM A HOUSE.   I DON’T HAVE TIME TO RUN DOWN EVERY BIBLICAL CHARACTER WHO HAD SALVATION GRACE, BUT DID NOT HAVE ANY GREAT FAVOR WITH GOD, OR TO RUN DOWN EVERY BIBLICAL CHARACTER THAT DID HAVE SALVATION GRACE AND GREAT FAVOR WITH GOD.  BUT I THOUGHT I WOULD SHARE WITH YOU A FEW BIBLICAL EXAMPLES WHO HAD SALVATION GRACE AND GREAT FAVOR WITH GOD.  I THOUGHT THAT I MIGHT TELL YOU OF THEM AND SEE WHAT IT WAS THAT THEY DID TO FIND SUCH GREAT FAVOR WITH GOD, SO THAT WE MIGHT USE THEM AS OUR SPECIAL EXAMPLES.  YOU SEE, I, MYSELF, WOULD LIKE TO HAVE GREAT FAVOR WITH GOD, AND I WANT TO LOOK AT THE BEST EXAMPLES I CAN GET.  THESE EXAMPLES I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU TODAY WHO HAD SALVATION GRACE AND GREAT FAVOR WITH GOD ARE: ENOCH, ABRAHAM, MOSES, SAMUEL, MARY THE MOTHER OF JESUS, AND JESUS HIMSELF. 

     THE BIBLE SAYS THAT ENOCH 1) WALKED WITH GOD, 2) GOT MARRIED, AND 3) HAD CHILDREN.  BUT ENOCH WALKED WITH GOD SO WELL THAT GOD DECIDED THAT HE WAS TOO GOOD TO LIVE ON EARTH AS LONG AS MANY OF HIS PREDECESSORS SUCH AS 800 YEARS, 900 YEARS, ETC.  THE BIBLE SAYS THAT ENOCH STARTED HAVING CHILDREN AT 65 YEARS OF AGE, THE FIRST ONE BEING METHUSELAH.  THEN HE WALKED WITH GOD 300 YEARS AFTER BEGETTING METHUSELAH.  GOD THEN DECIDED THAT ENOCH WAS TOO GOOD FOR THIS WORLD TO STAY ANY LONGER THAN 365 YEARS AND TRANSLATED HIM TO

ANOTHER WORLD WITHOUT HIS EVER EXPERIENCING DEATH.  IT SEEMS THAT THE KEY TO ENOCH’S RECEIVING SUCH FAVOR WITH GOD WAS TO WALK WITH GOD.

ABRAHAM FOUND FAVOR WITH GOD.  THE BIBLE SAYS THAT ABRAHAM WAS CALLED THE FRIEND OF GOD.  THAT IS WHAT JAMES SAID (JAMES 2:23).  YOU SEE, ABRAHAM WAS WILLING TO GIVE BACK TO GOD WHATEVER GOD HAD GIVEN HIM—TO INCLUDE HIS OWN SON.  HE HAD FAITH AND LIVED BY FAITH.

MOSES FOUND FAVOR WITH GOD.  ALTHOUGH MOSES WAS A STRONG, WELL TRAINED, WELL EDUCATED MAN, COULD DEFEND THE WEAK WITH HIS GREAT PHYSICAL STRENGTH AND MIGHT AND USE HIS KNOWLEDGE AND PERSONAL UPBRINGING TO LORD IT OVER PEOPLE, THE BIBLE SAYS (NUMBERS 12:3) THAT MOSES WAS THE MEEKEST MAN ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH.

SAMUEL FOUND FAVOR WITH GOD.  SAMUEL WALKED WITH GOD FROM THE TIME HE WAS PROBABLY THREE YEARS OLD.  THE BIBLE SAYS (I SAMUEL 3:19) THAT GOD WOULD NOT LET ANY OF HIS WORDS FALL TO THE GROUND.  IN OTHER WORDS, WHATEVER SAMUEL SAID GOD WOULD BRING TO PASS.  SAMUEL HAD FAVOR WITH GOD.

MARY THE MOTHER OF JESUS FOUND FAVOR WITH GOD.  THE ARCHANGEL GABRIEL SAID SO SAID WHEN HE APPEARED TO MARY, TELLING HER SHE HAD BEEN SELECTED BY GOD TO BEAR JESUS INTO THE WORLD.  IN FACT, THE ANGEL TOLD MARY THAT SHE WAS HIGHLY FAVORED, THE LORD WAS WITH HER, AND THAT SHE WAS BLESSED AMONG WOMEN.  WHAT DID MARY DO TO GAIN SUCH FAVOR WITH GOD?  SHE LIVED AN EXEMPLARY LIFE OF HOLINESS AND DID NOT GET INVOLVED IN THIS PREMARITAL SEX THING AS A YOUNG, TEENAGE WOMAN.  

 WE KNOW THAT JESUS FOUND FAVOR WITH GOD.  THE BIBLE SAYS SO IN THE SCRIPTURE THAT WE READ TODAY.  WHAT DID JESUS DO TO FIND FAVOR WITH GOD.  WELL, THE SCRIPTURE WE READ SAID THAT AS A YOUNG PERSON JESUS GREW STRONG IN SPIRIT AND  WAS FILLED WITH WISDOM.  THEN THE BIBLE SHOWS HOW HE WAS STRONG IN SPIRIT.  HE WAS DETERMINED IN MIND TO BE ABOUT HIS FATHER’S BUSINESS, GOD’S BUSINESS.  THE BIBLE FURTHER STATES IN THE SCRIPTURE WE READ THAT AS JESUS GREW UP, HE WAS SUBJECT TO HIS PARENTS AND HE CONDUCTED HIMSELF IN SUCH A WAY AS TO INCREASE IN WISDOM AND STATURE, AND IN FAVOR WITH GOD AND MAN.  LATER ON, THE BIBLE LETS US KNOW THAT JESUS WAS DETERMINED THAT GOD’S WILL BE DONE IN HIS LIFE, NOT HIS OWN WILL.

FROM THESE EXAMPLES GIVEN, WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GAIN FAVOR WITH GOD BEYOND SALVATION GRACE:

1. LIKE ENOCH, ONE MUST WALK WITH GOD.
2. LIKE ABRAHAM, ONE MUST TRY TO BE A FRIEND OF GOD AND BE WILLING TO GIVE BACK TO GOD WHATEVER HE MAY ASK OF US.  ONE MUST LIVE BY FAITH IN GOD.

 

1. LIKE MOSES, ONE MUST BE MEEK.
2. LIKE SAMUEL, ONE MUST MAKE ONE’S WALK WITH GOD A LIFELONG THING.
3. LIKE MARY THE MOTHER OF JESUS, ONE MUST LIVE A CLEAN, HOLY, AND SEPARATED LIFE FROM THE SINS OF THE WORLD, PARTICULARLY THE SEXUAL SINS.

 

1. AND LIKE JESUS, ONE MUST BE STRONG IN SPIRIT TO DO GOD’S WILL, AND CONDUCT ONE’S LIFE SO AS TO GROW IN WISDOM AND STATURE, AND IN FAVOR WITH GOD AND MAN, AND BE DETERMINED THAT GOD’S WILL—NOT ONE’S OWN WILL—BE DONE IN ONE’S LIFE.

 

I BELIEVE THAT IF WE FOLLOW THESE THINGS, NOT ONLY WILL WE HAVE SALVATION GRACE, BUT ALSO GREAT FAVOR WITH GOD.  THAT IS WHAT I WANT—FAVOR WITH GOD.