The T-shirt I have in my hand was a gift and I love what it says, “Jesus Loves You, But I’m His favorite.” You know it’s true, but I’m not saying that in an arrogant or prideful way, no I’m saying that in a very practical matter of fact way.
What did I do to make that statement true? Same thing you can do, there are four phrases that reoccur in the Word of God, “favor of the Lord,” “favor of the Lord,” “favor of the Lord,” “favor of the Lord.” Favor?
It’s the root to the word, “favorite,” and if in fact, you’re wondering, “Could I be God’s favorite?” Let’s define it. Interesting, in the original language, “favorite” is both an adjective and a noun. As an adjective, listen, the way the dictionary reads, “You’re preferred before all others of the same kind. Preferred?
Listen, ice cream, there are a lot of different flavors and vanilla has its place you’ll agree, but it’s not my favorite.
No my favorite, oh man, my favorite ice cream has chunks of brownie. It has pieces of cherry…it’s got… “Bob, not now! I’m only one day into my commitment to lose weight. Get behind me Satan!” Wait, wait, wait, don’t call me Satan. That’s not the way to treat your pastor as the New Year begins. Using the word to describe your “favorite” ice cream is its adjective form.
The word “favorite,” used in the form of a noun reads a little different. Listen to this, “It’s a person or a thing that is especially popular or particularly liked by someone.” And the two word phrase you’ve heard said, “teacher’s pet” means a teacher’s favorite student.
Listen, in first grade, I was Mrs. Myers pet, truly, truly, truly. She told the class at the beginning of the year began that she was going to give a special American flag kite the student who was the most special at the end of the year. And, yes, I got it. I got the flag. Mrs. Myers teacher’s pet, yeah, you know what I did to get it? I positioned myself as a favorite.
Now don’t miss the point, favorite, you can become God’s favorite? Yes, it’s something you can chose to do in the same way I chose to in order to win the American flag in first grade.
Christian, tune in. According to 1st Samuel 2 and 26, and Luke 2 and 52, both Samuel and Jesus listen to this, “Grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man.” They grew?
You mean there is something they did and something we can do that will would cause God to say, “I favor that man.” Or to say, “I favor you, Bob.” “Bob, I’m confused.” I thought Scripture teaches that God shows no favoritism.
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah and please know that there is a difference, because if you’re a note taker or a student of the Word and you say, “Hey, Acts 10, 34, 35, Romans 2 and 11, no partially. There is no favoritism with God. He doesn’t do that.” Well, not in that way.
You see, sometimes favoritism or partiality may be extended to someone for no good reason. It’s the practice of giving unfair, preferential treatment to one person at the expense of another. So, in that sense, you are right. God doesn’t do that, but He will reward and honor for good reason. He does that all the time.
You can position yourself today to be bless-able. You can position yourself today to be His favorite. You can position yourself today to be rewarded. If you look back at your past, even last year and say, “Man, I certainly didn’t feel like I was God’s favorite. What could I do this next year to really see his Hand over and working in my life?”
I’ve got four points we’ll work our way through the Word. If you’re a note taker, they all begin with: “Become His favorite by…”
Number one, “Become His favorite by doing what He asks how He asks.” What do you mean?
Genesis chapter 4 starting in the first verse we read: now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I’ve acquired a man from the Lord.” Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of the sheep, but Cain was tiller of the ground.
And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected (we’ll come back to that word) Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
Before we go any further, I asked you to note the word, “respected.” Some newer translations say He favored Abels’ offering but did not favor Cain’s offering. Now we can all speculate and scholars do, the reason why would God look at Abel and say, “Oh man, I’m touched.” And look at Cain and say, “You’re bugging me. What’s the deal with that?”
Christian, listen, some suggest that when it comes to the type of offering there was the need to appease the heart of God; Cain, “No I’m not into this,” Abel, on the other hand was, “Why?”
The law has not yet been written but according to the Scriptures you will find that an animal sacrifice was designed to be a sacrifice for sin and was the way to forgiveness from God. Whereas a grain sacrifice was considered to be a sacrifice to allow fellowship and a relationship with God. A sacrifice to atone for sin would need to come before a sacrifice for fellowship.
Many people believe they have a relationship with God but because there has never been a sin sacrifice without the shedding of blood, there has been no remission of sins. Many people expect to have a relationship with God but don’t do anything about their sinful condition.
Cain’s conversation with Abel may have gone something like this, “Hey, hey, hey Abel, it’s time for sacrifice. You’re bringing what to God?” “I’m bringing him the first born of the flock. What are you bringing him?” “I’m bringing grain.” “You know that you really shouldn’t offer a sacrifice of grain unless you first give him a blood sacrifice. I’ll be willing to give you a sheep from the flock if you will give me grain.” “No, I’m going to give God what I want to give Him and you give Him what you want to give Him! I don’t want to have any more conversation or contact with you!”
“You say, Bob, you actually think there should have been dialog between Cain and Abel so that each could have taken part in the sacrifice for sin first and sacrifice for fellowship after?
The greater probability, we see it in verse three, Cain brought an offering and Abel brought the first born of his flock. Some other scholars submit that the difference between the two sacrifices were their attitudes. Abel’s thoughts could have been, “I get to bring God something and oh I can’t wait!” I’m going to pick out the first-born, unblemished from my flock.” I’m going to give God my best.”
Cain’s attitude, on the other hand was perhaps, “I’m giving God an offering.” There is even a possibility that in the back of your mind, you have your own little Christmas wish list for God. “God, I need a Christmas miracle and here’s what I’d like You to do for me this holiday.” But, God didn’t fulfill your wish list.
You told him you wanted grandma to feel better and she didn’t, she got worse. You told Him you wanted a check for a thousand dollars to come in the mail. You told Him you wanted to win Publisher’s Clearing House. I don’t know what it was, but you had that little, “Hey if you would really bless me...” Now because God didn’t bless you in that way, you have an attitude and you come into the house of God with an attitude.
Each week I realize that not everyone here wants to be here and that’s weird being in my position to know. Some of you, right now, are tolerating this moment and you want to get it over with. Honestly, what do you think about attitude when it comes to your relationship with God? Don’t you think there are times when it’s not so much what you are doing, but the way in which you are doing it that matters more?
If you’ve got kids and you’ve got Saturday morning chores, there is usually one child who will get their chores done right away so they can mark them off their list. The other child, with an attitude and dragging their feet, doesn’t want to do their chores. I’m not talking about my kids--I’m talking about yours. Later, the children ask for favors and although they both completed the chores, it will be easier to give to the child who cheerfully completed their chores versus the child who completed their chores begrudgingly. Likewise, there are times when we come into the house of God and our attitude really stinks, and for some strange reason, we think God doesn’t know our attitude stinks.
“Yeah I’m singing. I’m singing not with a whole heart in fact I don’t want to lift my hands; I keep them in the pockets today. I had a Christmas wish list and He gave me nothing! You don’t get my hands. You only get half a song because I’ll only sing the choruses.”
What are you doing? The more immature Christian needs reasons why they should change their attitude and I could give you five reasons why. Reason number one, “Change your attitude and it will be a blessing to you.” “Number two, change your attitude and God will reward you.”
But, I’m not going to do that today, why? You don’t get reasons for changing a bad attitude because every once in a while somebody just needs to say to you, “Change your stinking attitude!” And you change it because you know it’s the right thing to do. You don’t need five reasons for changing your attitude. Why do I say that so sarcastically? Because I love you, that’s why, and because every once in a while the level of maturity one has is qualified based on what it takes to get you into a good mood.
Listen again; David was one who simply said to himself, “Why are you so downcast my soul?” What’s that? David realizes he’s in a bad mood, and he says in a specific Psalm and in many more that follow, “Stop, stop with the attitude!” So, in the same way, we can check our own heart and ask why we are behaving this way. “Why am I doing this?” And sometimes, it’s just because you’re having your own little pity party and you want God to interrupt it by blessing you in some way even though you have a rotten, stinking attitude. God says, “No, I’m not going to bless you until you change. I want you to change. I want you to surrender this; this, and this and I want you to just change your heart.”
Offerings don’t have to only be in the form of money but we can offer our time, and our service. Sometimes God looks at what we offer to Him and is saddened by our bad attitudes or the way we are treating Him.
Keep your place in Genesis chapter four go with me to Malachi chapter one, and keep in mind that as the prophet. Malachi has actually been invited by God to reprove or to rebuke Israel and Malachi he does so at the point of offering.
Look at the way this reads, Malachi chapter one and verse eight: When you offer the blind as a sacrifice, is that not evil? When you offer the lame and the sick is that not evil? Offer it then to your Governor, would he be pleased with you, or would he accept you favorably, says the Lord of hosts? (Note the word, “favorably”)
But not entreat God’s favorite that he might be gracious to us while this is being done by your hands. Will he accept you favorably, says the Lord of hosts.
This time I’m going to reread verse eight from a newer translation that says it this way: Go ahead and beg to God to be merciful to you, but when you offer that kind of offering, why should he show you any favor at all?
They should read it this way, “Sin is crouching at your door and it desires to master you but you must master it.” And I love that God is saying to Cain, “Cain why has your countenance fallen? There’s something about your face, you’re not happy man. What’s with the mood? You can change that mood right now, sin is crouching at your door it wants to keep you in a bad mood and have it influence and affect the way you think about me your God and about your brother.
You mean to tell me you are about to take your brother’s life over your bad, stinking mood? I mean to tell you again, its’ not so much the “what you do,” but it’s “the way that you do it” and these attitude adjustments we can make in our heart when we stop and say to ourselves, “wait a minute, I’m in a bad mood. Why am I doing this? I don’t even know why.”
Oh I know why—sometimes, quite honestly, attitudes can be demonic. Sometimes, your day, going fairly fine and the next thing you know, something happens and you have this bad attitude in your heart and you go, “Oh, I’m just a real stinker! What is that about?” Well, you are, and again, I’m not going to give you five reasons why you shouldn’t be a stinker, I’m just going to say, “Change it! You have power over your attitude and if you want this next year to be better than last year, determine, quite practically in your heart that you don’t have to be that way.”
Now why do I know it? The more mature Christian can because they don’t let their circumstances influence their attitudes.
You don’t need to turn there, but it’s the book of Habakkuk, the prophet and he declared in chapter 3 and verse 27. Listen to this: Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, though the labor of the olive may fail and the fields yield no food, though the flock might be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord I will joy in the God of my salvation.
What does Habakkuk say? He says, (from a newer translation), so what if there are no cattle in the field? So what if there is no new fruit on the vine? It’s not going to influence how I feel. I’m still going to rejoice in God and I’m still going to joy in the God of my salvation.
An attitude that remains grateful in the midst of need is evidence of spiritual maturity that invites favor from God more so than an ungrateful attitude in the midst of difficulty and because God didn’t do what you wanted him to do.
No, no, no, no, no, here’s a chance to change, it’s a New Year, a fresh opportunity, a chance to change. You want to position yourself in a more favorable light. Do what God asks you to do and be careful how you do what He asks you to do, number one.
Number two, go with me to Genesis chapter six, just a page or so away, and in the fifth verse we read, Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth and that every intent in the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually and the Lord was sorry that he made man on the earth and he was grieved in his heart. So the Lord said I will destroy man whom I’ve created form the face of earth both man and beast creepy things and birds of the air for I’m sorry that I’ve made them. Now watch verse eight; but Noah found grace (in the New King James and the NIV says, Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Verse nine; this is the genealogy of Noah, Noah was a just man perfect in his generations, Noah walked with God.
I’ll come back to that three word phrase, “a just man.” What does it mean to be “a just man?” Listen, you want to position yourself for being God’s favorite? Treat people fairly, that’s what a just man does. A just man is someone who wants to balance the scale on circumstances and situations that are unbalanced. It is important for all of us, as Christians, to try to right a wrong or help find justice in a situation that is unjust, believing that God can use us to make it right.
During the days of Noah, God is saying, “Ahh, it hurts to see man treating fellow man in this rotten and rude way. I’m looking for Noah. How cool, what a just man. I have found a just man in Noah. Noah, however, sees himself as, “just a man,” but God recognizes him as “a just man” who God can use to make adjustments in the world.
Here’s an example. I have a burden for widows and single moms. Now why do I have that burden? Because God has that burden, in fact, the book of James writes it this way, “He says pure and undefiled religion is… (or another translation) true religion is looking out after widows and orphans in their distress and keeping oneself unpolluted from this world.”
In other words, if you want your faith to look like something, care for widows and care for orphans. My heart is broken when a spouse, married for many years and still completely in love is taken home to Heaven, leaving the spouse here. “Wait a minute, God, what were you thinking?” “Is there something you can do about that, Bob?
A single parent; not every man leaves his wife because she’s acting like a witch. No, some guys sin and not wanting to change their sinful ways, forsake the responsibilities of their wife and kids. That is so unfair!
What can we do? You can leave Genesis 6 its Micah chapter 6, Micah chapter 6 and in the eighth verse. You see for the Jew, there were six hundred and thirteen laws to keep. God wants us to keep the top ten--you know those commandments? But here in the book of Micah, the sixth chapter in the eighth verse, He has shown you, O man, what’s good; and what does the Lord require of you. And here they are: one, to do justly, two, to love mercy, and three, to walk humbly with your God.
To do justly. Justice is something you actively participate in. You read the newspaper and read about unjust situations. What should we, as Christians going to do about it? Is there anything you can do about it, Christian?
I mentioned single moms earlier in the sermon. There is a couple in this church and this is a very cool story. They met a single mom in the church who was going through a very difficult time financially and they offered to let her drive their car during this time, a PT Cruiser. In addition to giving her a car to drive, they provided a financial course that helped her understand how to manage her money.
When the girl had finished the course, they gave her their car. Seeing how their help changed this woman’s life, they bought another PT Cruiser and they did the same with it. Today, twenty-one PT Cruisers later and having helped forty women through the financial program, they continue to seek out single moms who need help.
This family, although not in the automobile business has committed to doing something about a situation that appears very unjust and making it right. And, that’s just right, isn’t it?
Yes, it is just right, and what happens? When you do those things that are close to God’s heart, He says, “I love the fact that you’re doing that. It’s my favorite. You’re one of my favorites for doing that thing that is a favorite of mine. And when you do it in that way, it makes me so proud to say you’re mine!
What could you do? Although our benevolent ministry here at the church is able to give away tens of thousands of dollars every month to people who hurting, I want to encourage you to, when a hurting person comes across your path to try and help them yourself, right where you are. We don’t want you to be taken advantage of and sometimes the church ministry can be that filter to help prevent that but if you see somebody in need, part of God living in you is meeting their need through you, right then and there.
So if you see somebody who’s in a tough situation or in a difficult scene, you can fix that right now, saying, “Hey how about if I help you in your situation.” And when you do that, God says, “I love it when you do that!”
When Moses saw all of Israel stuck, he said, “I can fix this. I want to be used of You, God.” Nehemiah saw the walls surrounding Jerusalem and he says, “Man, this is just so wrong. I can do something about this!”
What could you do? You see, lists will be made over the next week of personal improvements goals for your life and the television knows this very well. They know that right now, everything is myopic and very self-centered. You want to lose weight but do you want to exercise? Yeah, do you want to find someone special? Yeah.
Everything is focused on you meeting the needs in your life because you’re so important to you! But what about others? “Well, that’s what I’ve been thinking about-- somebody else. I have this need, and I want to bless a man in my life.” We’ve covered ice cream and special desserts. Now men, let’s just continue to walk through our list. Listen, you have no idea how much more you’re blessed and how much more you’ll be blessed if you just treat other people fairly. What does that mean?
That means if you’re a business man, you can take a look at your business model, the way you do business and make sure you are good to your clients. Make sure your business doesn’t take advantage of people.
“Bob, don’t say this right now, no not now because profits are just, profit?” Is that what this is about, maybe I’m being a “prophet” in your life right now and it has more to do with the bottom line in the Kingdom to come than it has to do with the bottom line in the here and now.
You see, God wants you to do some of these things so you enjoy His favor and His favor takes you from this life into the next. You want to position yourself for His favor so you treat people fairly and you do what He asked you to do how He asked.
You want to position yourself number three, go with me this time, Proverbs chapter 12. Now before you read I want to prepare you for this, you’re not going to like the first verse. Okay? Ready? I’m just saying, hang onto your heart. This is one of those moments, ready?
Proverbs 12 and 1: Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid. Yeah I know now, come on back just for a moment okay? Alright, wait, wait, wait, come on back. You know how often I’ll say to you, “Now if you’re taking notes.” “Now if you’ll write this down, if you’ll circle that word and close by…” And here’s what some of you think, “No I don’t want to do that. I’m not into this. This is supposed to be church, not school, I already graduated.”
Now let’s read that first verse one more time, can we do that? Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.
Now I didn’t call you that, God did because the reality of that fact moves right into the next verse. Look at what the next verse says, for a good man obtains favor from the Lord, but a man of wicked intentions He will condemn.
A good man obtains favor from the Lord. Point number three is: a good man, position himself to find favor by being good and doing good. The interesting note on the word for good has everything to do with the original language in that it assists us in understanding that this is something you can do and improvement is the by-product.
You see a good man, although there are no good men, there are bad men who are becoming better than average and on their way to becoming good men, on their way to becoming great men. That’s how it happens in the body of Christ. I wasn’t a good man when God called me. I was a bad man when God called me and when I came into the body of Christ and began to grow in the understanding of who God was, I began to move from being a bad man, to an average man, and now I’m on my way to being good and one day, I’ll be a great man.
Listen, it’s do-able and the reason it’s do-able is that you’re here, His Spirit is here and He’s giving you all these opportunities to grow. You can visit the church’s website Disciple U folder for information on how to be a better parent, how to have a stronger marriage, learn how to counsel others or learn to defend your faith.
Now stupid people are not interested in this. “Bob I can’t believe you said it that way!” This is my burden, tune in. I’ve been here for twenty-five years and I’ve seen great potential, incredible possibility die because people didn’t seize the opportunities to learn and grow but settled in, status quo. They stayed at a level of mediocrity.
Do you want to be a great dad or do you want to be a bad dad? You see, these are choices we make, every one of us makes these choices and God says, “If you really don’t like correction and you don’t like instruction, I’ll call it more than foolish, I’ll call that stupid.” Why? This is your life and you can improve it and you can make it better. Isn’t that you’re looking for?
I think word is out in some circles of Broward that I’m looking for a different car. I’ve had my car for seven years and I’m looking and I’ve been looking for three years. Although I’ve been looking, it doesn’t mean I’m ready to buy but I’m looking. Now, what am I looking for in a car? Do you think I’m looking for, checking consumer reports for the worst car? I’m looking for a bad car?
Let’s bring this a little closer to home, ladies. If you’re single, are you looking for a bad man? You say, “Bob that’s—I—I’m looking for a New Year and a new opportunity.” Okay, so what are you looking for? You’re not looking for a bad man. I would submit; you’re not even looking for an average man. Well, maybe there are a handful of girls—“I just want someone with flesh and a heart. If he’s alive, I’m fine. I don’t care.” No, you have to change that, that’s why you have a bad guy.
Now listen, here’s the thought. You say, “I’m looking for a good man who’s on his way to being a great man because he hasn’t stopped being a man after God’s heart.” You see, you don’t have to stay the way you are. If you’re looking into the mirror of your own life thinking, “Oh man, that really bugs me,” who is going to change that? “I don’t know. I was hoping you would, Bob.” Oh here’s what we do. If you come up after the service, I have a jar of magic dust that I can sprinkle over your heart and if you’re poor, you leave wealthy and if you’re unattractive, you leave beautiful—no. You wish I had that, huh? That’d be great. Let me tell you something, there is a beauty that’s so much better than physical attractiveness, there’s wealth that’s so much greater than monetary success.
God gifts all of that to anyone who positions themselves favorably. He says, “Hey, this is your opportunity to grow, your opportunity to change. If you want to do this you can do this, but please, if you do the same thing this year you did last year (that amounts to nothing), I don’t know why you’d expect great change.
I say that because and I couldn’t say it before my dad passed away in February of last year. I didn’t really cry when he passed away and didn’t cry for a really long time after his death. The reason for that was that we didn’t have a close relationship, as hard as I tried.
Don’t do that to your kids, dad. You don’t have to go on record as being a bad dad. You can change that right now. You can make a decision today saying, “God, in Your grace and mercy, do something on the inside of me. It has to be holy. It has to be divine. It has to be supernatural.” Then, He grabs hold of your heart and He changes it. You become a changed person, you have an experience with God and now your course is completely different. After God changes you, you have less regret and you have more reward. Why?
You let God do something in you and you, who were bad become average, you who were average then became good and you end up having a legacy where somebody says, “Hey, you know what, my dad (PB - my dad didn’t do this) but my dad–-my dad was the greatest dad!” I want my kids to say that about me. I want your kids to say that about you. It’s a change of heart something God wants to do in you if you’ll position yourself, favorably.
Fourth and finally, it’s Proverbs chapter three, just a couple of pages to the left. It will seem almost obvious when I say that the fourth point is, “if you position yourself favorably or if you want to have the favor of the Lord you’d seek the favor.”
But that’s exactly what we see, look at Proverbs chapter 3, starting in the first verse we read, My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands, for length of days and long life and peace they will add to you. Let not mercy and truth forsake you, bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart and so find favor and high esteem. And here’s what is very noteworthy, last half, in the sight of God and man.
In the sight of God and man. Come on back. You can actually seek the favor of God and find it how? He says, “Here’s what I want you to do. Take my Word and hide it in your heart. Take my commands and burn them on your brain. I want my Word to be so in you that the decision you make and the steps you take are ordained of Me because they flow from Me because My heart is revealed through and in My Word.
Now what does it mean on a very practical level? And I say that word quite honestly, quite often because I want this to become something that you say, “I never thought about that and I could do that.” Memorize scripture, memorize the Word, memorize any part of the Word.
Now the Bible verses that just naturally flow from me when I say, Now it says this in the newer translation, it says this (it didn’t come through osmosis), “That comes by reading and going, ‘Man, I really like that I want to commit that to memory,’ and then it becomes in a part of your thinking.
Now when it’s in your brain and you’re about to do something foolish or stupid, God slows you, you hear that verse, you get the yellow light of His Spirit and you think, “No, I’m not going to do that! I’m going to do this instead.” God says that’s a favorite thing to do and I will bless you as my favorite.
It was twelve years ago Billy Graham crusade Puerto Rico, I went and so did Pastor Stephan, on our staff, Rev. Graham’s first grandson. One morning after the first night of the crusade, Pastor Stephan, while running along the beach sees the long-time spokesperson for the Billy Graham Association, Cliff Barrows also exercising. (George Beverly Shea was their singer). Pastor Stephan stops to speak to Mr. Barrows and notices that in his hand, he has Bible memory verses. Now, he’s reaching eighty-years old, his wife died the year before and he’s still memorizing Bible verses.
Now when Stephan tells me that story, I say, “Cliff Barrows was doing what?” Memorizing Bible verses, I mean don’t you get to a certain age in your life where you think, “Hey, whatever I know, I know. I’m not going to add to it.” No you don’t.
Why? Because when you take the time to say, “Oh I like that verse and I want that in my heart. God, this is who you are, and I want you inside of me, I want to rely on this verse. I want it to be something I think about. I want it to be something that just leads me and guides me in my life.” The Word of God can be an amazing tool in your
life. God says, “You want favor? Then, put that law in your heart. Put those commands in there and you know what will happen? Not only will you find favor with God, but I will see to it that you find favor with man, yeah and I’ll tell you why.” Just a little footnote, Proverbs 21 and 1, God holds the kings heart in his hand and he moves it like he can move a river.
God holds the heart of a king in His hand let me tell you something, God can change anyone’s heart at any time, whenever He wills it. Now, if you have a boss and you say, “Man, my boss--I wish—if you will bring favor to God, watch God change your boss’s heart.
You have a husband, “Man, I wish--well if he would…” Hey, if you position yourself in the face of God, God will change your husband’s heart. “Bob, you don’t know my husband’s heart.” With man it’s impossible with God all things are possible. Even that hard hearted husband you have. Listen, it’s why we love Him, He does the miraculous, He does things that just make you stand back and say, “Wow, You did that!”
That’s what He’s capable and able to do. So, if you’re in a long line waiting to return something that wasn’t the right size and there’s a real mean woman behind the counter berating the two people in front of you and you’re not looking forward to your encounter with her because you don’t have a receipt. “Oh no, this is bad,” and “Oh Lord, please.” Next thing you know, that lady says, “I’m going to take a cigarette break. I’ll be back.”
Now here comes another sales woman and she has a little cross pin on her lapel. “You walk up, “Hi! I want to return this but I don’t have a receipt.” “Hey, didn’t I see you at Calvary last week? “Yeah, you did.” While you’re thinking, “Oh praise the Lord! This is so cool! She let me return that, no problem.” “You know, this was on sale but I’m not sure--so I’ll give you full price.” “Ahhh.”
Favor with God and man, you’re saying, “No, it’s been your luck that the Christian lady goes away and the lady on the cigarette break comes in just in time for you to say, “I don’t have a receipt.” “Well, I can’t give you anything, okay?” “Oh.”
Do you want the year to be better? You can improve your year. It doesn’t have to stay this way and it just means that you need to say, “Whatever it was I will do. Whatever is necessary, I’ll do to make it better next time.”
You know, this is the third time I’m teaching this same study and the Saturday night lab church heard this version for the very first time and it was, okay. Every Sunday morning, I get up really early to run a little and push a few weights and come back to the office, have some breakfast, look at my notes, listen to the CD from Saturday night’s service and make changes in my notes. That’s why my notes have all these colors. So, the eight o’clock service is always better than the Saturday night but don’t tell the Saturday night people this. Shhh… And then after the eight o’clock service, I go back in my office and I rework it again for this service. Yeah, now I know what some of you are thinking, you’re thinking, “So actually, the next service is the best service.”
Now why do I do that? Why do I change it so many times? Why do I try and make improvements on it? Because I care about you, you wouldn’t know the difference, you wouldn’t know that I added Scripture from Habakkuk to this sermon because I thought, “You know there’s another verse that says this well.” “Yeah, ‘there are not cattle in the field, there are no grapes on the vine’…”
I added that verse, why? I thought that would make a little bit more sense. Now why am I improving this sermon? You wouldn’t know the difference so why am I doing this? I hope I’m doing it to honor my God, that’s who I hope I’m doing it for, and that by honoring Him He says, “Hey, I see that little extra effort. I see that little extra work. I see what you’re doing. And here’s what I’m going to do.”
I am now going to bless because I see your desire to improve. I think most of you come back and you open your heart in this atmosphere of worship and service and study and say to God, “I’m coming back because I have the desire to improve.” Would you pray with me?
