The Favor of God
Text: 1 Samuel 2:26 "And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the LORD, and also with men."
Summary: This message will present 5 items that you can use as a gauge to see if the favor of God rests upon your life. They are:
5 Areas the favor of God is revealed:
1. The abiding presence of God.
2. Tangible benefit in the lives of others.
3. The fingerprints of God left on the lives of others.
4. Personal refreshing.
5. The work of our hands blessed.
Samuel was an individual; he enjoyed an extraordinary amount of the favor of God upon his life, his home, and the work of his hands. That is what this message is about; seeing and enjoying the favor of God upon your life, your home, and the work of your hands.
At the outset of this message I ask a simple question: “Can you sense and are you aware of a sense of the blessing of the Lord and the favor of God upon your life, your home, and the work of your hands?”
A man/woman of God seeks the blessing of God upon their life and works.
All true children want to know and be assured of their father’s approval. Kids want that kind of assurance and this was the Psalmists prayer in:
Psalms 90:17 And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.
Here is a text that will provoke you to question whether or not God’s favor is in your life.
Deuteronomy 28:2-6 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
A self test to see if God’s favor is upon your life:
5 Areas the favor of God is revealed:
1. The abiding presence of God.
2. Tangible benefit in the lives of others.
3. The fingerprints of God left on the lives of others.
4. Personal refreshing.
5. The work of our hands blessed.
1. The abiding presence of God.
Genesis 18:1-3 And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw [them], he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:
What Abraham is saying is this: God if you love me, be near me, and let me enjoy your company.
Now from the New Testament: John 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
An awareness of the presence of God in your life is a sure sign of God’s favor.
Romans 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
2. Tangible benefit in the lives of others.
Genesis 30:27 And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, [tarry: for] I have learned by experience that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake.
Genesis 39:5 And it came to pass from the time [that] he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field.
When God’s favor is in your life it produces tangible benefits in the lives of others.
Samson dipped his hands in honey and his parents enjoyed it.(Judges 14:9)
Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well, whose branches run over the wall. (Gen 49:22)
3. The fingerprints of God left on the lives of others.
1 Samuel 3:19 And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.
This text is an illusion to water wasted on the ground or to an arrow that is sent but falls to the ground without reaching its mark. When we have the favor of God in our life the fingerprints of God will be left on the lives of others and our arrows will not fall to the ground short of their mark.
People will be convicted of the their need for Christ. God will use us to make an indelible impact upon their lives.
2 Corinthians 3:2 Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:
4. Personal refreshing.
Proverbs 19:12 The king’s wrath is as the roaring of a lion; but his favour is as dew upon the grass.
Proverbs 16:15 In the light of the king’s countenance [is] life; and his favour [is] as a cloud of the latter rain.
When a person has the favor of God upon their life they will experience times of personal refreshing.
5. The work of our hands blessed.
This is God’s desire for us: Deuteronomy 24:19 When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands.
It is what God does for those upon whom His favor rests: Job 1:10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
If this blessing is not there you need to ask why: Haggai 1:1-11
Close: Hebrews 10:22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled [clean] from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Are you aware of the favor of God in your life in regards to salvation? Psalms 106:4 Remember me, O LORD, in Thy favor toward Thy people; Visit me with Thy salvation
Is your Christian testimony muted or blessed by God?
