The Favor of the LORD

Here's notes from my sermon at this morning's Celebration Service...

A traveler became lost in an unnamed desert. Realizing his only chance for survival was to find civilization, he began walking. Time passed, and he became thirsty. More time passed, and he began feeling faint. Reduced to crawling, he was on the verge of passing out when he spied a small shack about 500 meters in front of him. Barely conscious, he reached the shack and called out, "Water! Please, I need water!" An old man appeared in the door of the shack and replied sympathetically, "I am sorry, sir, but I have no water. However, would you like to buy a tie?" With this, he brandished a collection of exquisite silken neckwear. "I'm dying! I need water!" gasped the man "Well, sir," replied the old man, "If you really need water, there is another shack about 2 kilometers south of here where you can get some." Without knowing how, the man summoned sufficient strength to drag his parched body the distance to the second tent. With his last ounce of strength he tugged at the door of the second shack and collapsed. Another man, looking enough like the old man to be his brother, appeared at the door dressed in a costly tuxedo. Looking down at the crumpled mass at his door, he inquired, "May I help you sir?" "Water..." came the feeble reply. "Oh, sir," replied the man, "I'm sorry, but you can't come in here without a tie!"

Sometimes life feels like that
Parched, crawling, near death and the world is still demanding when you have nothing to give
I pray RRAG is a place where the thirsty crawlers can find refuge, living water, un-demanding love
Also I can’t miss this opportunity to use this funny illustration to validate my personal loathing for wearing ties…

My sermon today is entitled: The Favor of the Lord

In my Devotional Bible Reading I landed on Leviticus 26
3If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments and do them,
4I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase and the trees of the field yield their fruit.
5And your threshing [time] shall reach to the vintage and the vintage [time] shall reach to the sowing time, and you shall eat your bread to the full and dwell in your land securely.
6I will give peace in the land; you shall lie down and none shall fill you with dread or make you afraid; and I will clear ferocious (wild) beasts out of the land, and no sword shall go through your land.
7And you shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword.
8Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight; your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.
9For I will be leaning toward you with favor and regard for you, rendering you fruitful, multiplying you, and establishing and ratifying My covenant with you.
10And you shall eat the [abundant] old store of produce long kept, and clear out the old [to make room] for the new.
11I will set My dwelling in and among you, and My soul shall not despise or reject or separate itself from you.
12And I will walk in and with and among you and will be your God, and you shall be My people.

Mabye some of you are thinking these OT promises do not apply to the new covenant we have in Christ…
Let me remind you…

Jesus said in Matthew 5:17… Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

& Romans 3
21But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

So In Jesus we are the righteousness of God we fulfill the Law and the Prophets
So we are in the Favor of the Lord simply because of the gospel, child-like faith has met the “if you” clause…

This of course is no ticket to lasciviousness
It’s Hope
It’s Amazing Grace
The kind that drives us to our knees

Like Paul says in Romans 2:4
Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?

Ok back to Leviticus
Let me expand on the wonder that is Leviticus 26
In verse 9 the LORD says… I will be leaning toward you with favor and regard for you

Hear me Christian!
Our God is on the throne
He isn’t sitting back in judgment
He doesn’t have his arms crossed, frustrated with our stupidity
No furrowed brow, rolling eyes
Picture it with me
He’s leaning forward
His eyes filled with favor, regard toward you
Arms Open, deep understanding, undemanding love

I will be leaning toward you with favor and regard for you

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art. When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.
About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, "Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art." The young man held out this package. "I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this." The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. "Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift." The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected. The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection. On the platform sat the painting of the son The auctioneer pounded his gavel. "We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?" There was silence. Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, "We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one." But the auctioneer persisted. "Will somebody bid for this painting Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?" Another voice angrily. "We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!" But still the auctioneer continued. "The son! The son! Who'll take the son?" Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. "I'll give $10 for the painting." Being a poor man, it was all he could afford. "We have $10, who will bid $20?" "Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters." "$10 is the bid, won't someone bid $20?" The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections. The auctioneer pounded the gavel. "Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!" A man sitting on the second row shouted, "Now let's get on with the collection!" The auctioneer laid down his gavel. "I'm sorry, the auction is over." "What about the paintings?" "I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets everything!" God gave His son 2,000 years ago to die on the cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is: "The son, the son, who'll take the son?" Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything. FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, WHO SO EVER BELIEVETH, SHALL HAVE ETERAL LIFE…
And don’t forget 17…God sent not…

If your anything like me, it’s easy to believe that when things go wrong in your life, hurt happens, your plans are foiled…you begin to think you’re out of God’s favor…
Remember Jesus promised trouble in this world
But to take heart He has overcome
And even John 3:16 doesn’t promise a life full of roses it promises eternal life

He saves us from our sin yes
But He doesn’t always save us from the consequences of sin
I’m not saying your circumstances are consequences of your sin
I’m saying the mess of this world is because of sin
Every hurt is the backwash of sin, yours or someone else’s
Death wasn’t God’s will for mankind

Again back to Leviticus 26
Verse 10, the LORD says clear out the old [to make room] for the new.
I think that process is sometimes very difficult
Especially if one is rather attached to the old stuff God is trying to rid us of to make room for the new
Embrace it, accept it, gain some new perspective...

You are living in the Favor of the Lord
Every promise of Scripture is yours because of Jesus
Hear our God say…
I will be leaning toward you with favor and regard for you

Samuel Medley said it all
I know that my Redeemer lives;O the sweet joy this sentence gives!He lives, he lives, who once was dead;He lives, my ever living Head.He lives triumphant from the grave,He lives eternally to save,He lives all-glorious in the sky,He lives exalted there on high.He lives to bless me with his love,He lives to plead for me above.He lives my hungry soul to feed,He lives to help in time of need.He lives to grant me rich supply,He lives to guide me with His eye,He lives to comfort me when faint,He lives to hear my soul's complaint.He lives to silence all my fears,He lives to wipe away my tearsHe lives to calm my troubled heart,He lives all blessings to impart.He lives, my kind, wise, heavenly Friend,He lives and loves me to the end;He lives, and while He lives, I'll sing;He lives, my Prophet, Priest, and King.He lives and grants me daily breath;He lives, and I shall conquer death:He lives my mansion to prepare;He lives to bring me safely there.He lives, all glory to His Name!He lives, my Jesus, still the same.Oh, the sweet joy this sentence gives,I know that my Redeemer lives!