Blessing - The Favor of God

I'm excited you're here today because God has something special for you.

I know I spent a few weeks out, and I wanted to um just highlight before I left, we were talking about the blessings.

Can you say blessings?

Blessings, one more time, blessings.

God has provided each and every one of us as children of God blessings.

Blessings that you can't buy on Amazon, blessings that you can't go shopping for, blessings that you can't receive in a Christmas present or a birthday present.

God has given and provided for you special blessings.

When you gave your life to Christ, you have been put on an assignment.

How many believe you've been put on an assignment this morning?

Yes, you have a purpose.

God has a plan for you.

To proclaim the gospel message, to live your lives as members of one body with Christ as the head.

Unfortunately, sometimes we find ourselves coming up short.

We come come up short on the assignment that God has called for us.

On using the gifts that He has filled us with, we feel unfit.

We feel like somebody else is better fit to do the job.

Meanwhile, there's people who are lost, people who are hurting, people who need you, people who need you to do what you've been called and created to do.

God wants to use you to reach these people.

Now the great thing about God is that He sets us on an assignment and he equips us.

Can I get a praise the Lord?

He equips us to accomplish to accomplish the job.

We may not realize it, but God has equipped us with tools, with blessings.

Blessings that will help us accomplish the things that He's called us to do.

During our previous discussions on this topic, we highlighted four blessings that I want to recount this morning.

Four blessings he has equipped us with.

And I want to uncover one more key blessing that I believe puts all of these other blessings into full motion.

One other key blessing that I want to be, I want you to be blessed with this morning.

In the book of Exodus, there's a story that we've been retelling, and that is the story of Moses, who felt unequipped.

He felt unfit for the task, for the call that God had placed on his life.

Sounds familiar to us.

And the Bible gives a great storyline of Moses, but we've been zeroing in on this burning bush encounter, a special moment between God and Moses, where God reveals so much for Moses and gives him blessings to accomplish the task, to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt.

Exodus 3:2, we've looked at this.

Exodus 3:2

It says, Then the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush, and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed.

If we read on in verse 10 of the same chapter, and now come, this is God speaking to Moses, I will send you to Pharaoh so that you may bring my people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.

But Moses said to God, Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?

And that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?

And he said, Assuredly, I will be with you.

And this shall be a sign to you that it is I who have sent you.

When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.

God gave us the first blessing to Moses by saying, Assuredly, I will be with you.

Can you say that with me this morning?

Assuredly, I will be with you.

See, you got to get that at the top of your tongue, at the tip of your tongue.

And remember that the first blessing that God has given you is his presence.

The presence of God is with you.

God is with you.

In fact, we said what?

Say it with me.

God is in the room.

You can be sure, you can be certain, what a blessing.

God is here.

See, Moses was aware of his shortcomings, but he was also aware of the presence of God.

He was capable of so much more when God was in the room.

If we read on in verse 13, then Moses said to God, Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you.

Now they may say to me, What is his name?

What shall I say to them?

And God said to Moses, I am who I am.

And he said, This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel, I am has sent me to you.

Moses received the blessing, the second blessing that God has for you and I.

And what is it?

It is the name of God.

Say it with me this morning.

The name of God.

Because why?

In his name there is power.

See, in his name the plagues of Egypt would unfold, the miraculous would unfold before their eyes.

And just like David standing before a giant, he says, I've come to you what?

In the name of the Lord.

Yeah, giants can fall all around.

We have been given this blessing of his name to be called on in every situation, realizing there is power in the name.

In Exodus 4, verse 1, it says, Then Moses said, What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say?

Exodus 4:1

For they may say the Lord has not appeared to you.

The Lord said to him, What is that in your hand?

And I love this one.

He said, A staff.

Then he said, Throw it on the ground.

So he threw it on the ground, and it turned into a serpent, and Moses fled from it.

The Lord asks you this morning, What is that in your hand?

What is that in your hand?

A simple piece of wood?

Something meaningless?

Something so simple?

Yes, with this piece of wood, God would show his mighty power to Moses, to Pharaoh, to the Israelites.

With this piece of wood, God would show his power even to us today, of what he is able to do with whatever is in your hands.

Moses just so happened to have a staff.

The question of it, the question this morning is, What is in your hand?

What has God given you?

You might look at it and you might say, God, this is meaningless.

This is too simple.

But God can use whatever is in your hands to fulfill the mission he has placed you on.

He can use whatever whatever is in your hands to fulfill the mission that he has placed you on.

You might say, Pastor Stephen, I got nothing in my hands.

That's all right.

God can still use it.

But you just got to be willing to surrender it over to him.

And how does this happen?

How does this happen?

If we look, it's not your hand that does the work, it's whose hand.

It's God's hands.

Yes.

Your hand can't do anything.

But when God's hand comes upon you, what does it say in Exodus 4.10?

Then Moses said to the Lord, please, Lord, I have net nope.

3.19 through 20, I jumped.

But I know the king of Egypt will not permit you to go except under commulsion compulsion.

So God says, I will reach out my hand and strike Egypt with all my miracles, which I shall do in the midst of it.

And after that, he will let you go.

The third blessing that you have been given this morning is what?

The hand of God.

Praise the Lord.

Because when the hand of God comes upon you, when the hand come of God comes upon you, whatever is in your hands can become the biggest game changer in whatever situation you are in.

Whatever is in your hands turns into something powerful.

In Exodus 4, before we left, we read this the fourth blessing given to Moses that's available to you and I in Exodus 4, chapter 10.

I mean chapter 4, verse 10.

It says, Then Moses said to the Lord, please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since you have spoken to your servant, for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.

The Lord responds to Moses in verse 11 and says, This, but the Lord said to him, Who has made the human mouth?

Or who made anyone unable to speak or deaf or able to see or blind?

Is it not I, I the Lord?

Now then go and I myself will be with your mouth and instruct you in what you are to say.

The fourth blessing that God has given you this morning is what?

The mouth of God.

Say it with me this morning.

Yeah, you're doing better now.

God speaks, God breathes.

When the mouth of God is at work, unimaginable things begin to happen in your life.

Listen, God speaks, He speaks through His Word.

When you begin to speak His word into your situation, unimaginable things begin to happen.

See, the mouth of God becomes the driving force, delivering the Israelites out of captivity through the wilderness and into the promised land.

From there, the mouth of God continues to speak through the prophets of God all the way down to Jesus Christ.

The mouth of God continues to speak to you and I today through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The words that come from the mouth of God accomplish great things for God's people.

Amen.

The presence of God, the name of God, the hand of God, even the mouth of God, four blessings that were given to Moses, four blessings that were given to you and I this morning.

Even with all of these amazing gifts given to Moses, God throws a cherry on top of it.

How many enjoy the cherry on top of the ice cream?

Some of you give it away.

God wants to bless you with that extra special blessing.

That extra special blessing that makes you smile when they plop the cherry on top.

Like a little kid in the candy store.

This blessing that God gives to Moses is an extra special blessing.

A blessing that put all the other blessings in motion and set the people of God apart from the bunch.

Are you ready this morning?

Are you ready this morning?

All right, just make it sure.

While God is speaking to Moses through the burning bush, he reveals this.

If we turn back to Exodus chapter 3, verse 21, it says this, and I love this.

Exodus 3:21

And it shall be that when you go, you will not go empty-handed, but every woman shall ask her neighbor and the woman who lives in her house for articles of silver and articles of gold and clothing, and you will put them on your sons and daughters, so you will plunder the Egyptians.

Ha.

Ha ha.

The extra blessing God reveals to Moses is the favor of God.

Can you say that with me this morning?

Good for you.

What is the favor of God?

What is the favor?

Now you're excited.

That's all I wanted.

What is the favor of God?

See, the favor of God in the Bible is synonymous with God's grace.

Grace.

You've heard the term grace, God's grace.

In the Britannica Encyclopedia, grace is defined as spontaneous, unmerited gift of the divine favor in the salvation of sinners and the divine influence operating in individuals for their regeneration and sanctification.

I'm going to shorten that.

When we look at the book of Romans in the New Testament, Paul talks about grace and he says this grace is a free gift.

Grace is a free, unmerited gift that only God can give.

In Romans 11, 5 through 6, it says, In this, it is the same today, for a few people of Israel have remained faithful because of what?

God's grace.

His undeserved kindness in choosing them.

And since it is through God's kindness, then watch, it is not by their good works, for in that case, God's grace would not be what it what it really is, free and undeserved.

God's grace, you don't deserve it.

You can't earn it.

It is a free gift from the Almighty God.

Do you believe that this morning?

See, in his conversation with Moses, we're back at the burning bush.

In his conversation with Moses, God reveals to him that he will grant favor, not Fava.

You already got the Favor.

I'm talking about favor in the sight of the Egyptians.

Unmerited, undeserved grace.

Where not only, watch, will the Israelites leave Egypt after generations of captivity, but on their way out of Egypt, they will receive silver and gold and clothing as plunder from the Egyptian community.

Are you kidding me?

The Israelites would be given treasures by the same people whom they were enslaved to while walking out of Egypt.

Bai, how is this possible?

Only by the favor of God.

Unmerited, undeserved grace.

After the last plague of Egypt, which was the killing of the firstborn of Egypt, we see this promise of God's favor come upon the Israelite people.

We saw it in Exodus chapter 3.

Exodus 3 · chapter mention

Now watch what happens in Exodus chapter 12, verse 33.

Exodus 12:33

It says, The Egyptians urged the people, send them out of the land in a hurry.

For they said, We will all be dead if they stay here any longer.

So the people took their dough before it was leavened, with their kneading bowls bound up bound up in the clothes on their shoulders.

Now the sons of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, for they had requested from the Egyptians articles of silver and articles of gold and clothing, and the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have their request.

Therefore they plundered the Egyptians.

Leaving, after years of captivity, years of bondage, not empty-handed, but with gold and silver and a brand new wardrobe.

That's the way the God works.

Doesn't that sound nice?

A new wardrobe, a new look.

If we look at the favor of God that has come upon his people in this narrative, if we look at the people of God in this narrative and how the favor functions, the favor of God, there is a restitution that takes place.

There is a balancing of accounts that takes place.

After years of slavery and of bondage, God, by his grace, watch, restores to the Israelites not only their freedom, but a possession of goods for their own.

A balancing of accounts, a restitution that only God could set in motion.

Why?

Because the favor of God was upon them.

I want you to follow.

Not only had God given blessings of his presence, of his name, of his hand, of his mouth, that's a great gift package.

God blesses Moses and the people of Israel with his favor.

This morning, the extra blessing God gave to Moses generations ago has been made available to you and I today.

With all the other blessings that God has given you, He offers you favor.

He offers you that cherry on top that makes you smile.

His favor.

As a shield.

Ha! Favor as a shield.

Psalm 90, verse 17.

Psalms 90:17

May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us.

Establish the work of our hands for us.

Yes, establish the work of our hands.

See, God's favor and his grace comes to its fullest when Jesus Christ walks on the scene.

When God would empty of himself, coming to earth in the flesh through his son Jesus Christ, Jesus, through his death on the cross, offers all of humanity salvation made available by unmerited, undeserved grace.

God's favor is opened wide so that every man, every woman, every boy, and every girl could gain access to watch.

Full restitution.

Full restitution, a balancing of accounts to where what has been stolen from humanity, what has been stolen from you and I, can be restored through our faith in Jesus Christ.

Praise the Lord.

Ephesians 2, 8 through 9 says this for by grace you have been saved through faith.

And guess what?

This is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.

Not a result of your works, so that no one may boast.

The favor of the Lord extends beyond silver, beyond gold, beyond clothes.

The favor of the Lord extends to where everything that belonged to us, to humanity in the Garden of Eden, life everlasting, peace, beauty, taking back what the enemy has stolen and taking full advantage of God's favor, God's grace.

Men and women of God, you need to realize this extra special blessing that God has given you.

Because watch, unfortunately, we can miss out on his favor.

We miss out on his favor.

Instead, we choose to live life in misery.

We choose to walk through life empty-handed.

We choose to walk through life hopeless and sad and angry, and we just want to be hurt and we want to be held in captivity when God has favor in store for you.

He sent his son Jesus Christ.

Why?

To give you a whole new set of clothes, to give you a whole new life, to make you a new creation.

And by his grace, you have been saved through faith.

Amen.

Because if you look at the Israelites in chapter 3, and I want you to watch this, in verse 21, which we read earlier, chapter 3 of Exodus, I will grant this people what?

Watch verse 22.

This is important.

But every woman shall ask her neighbor and the woman who lives in her house for articles of silver and articles of gold and clothing, and you will put them on your sons and daughters, so you will plunder the Egyptians.

God instructed them to do what?

Ask.

You don't see the Egyptians just throwing things at them.

No, they were instructed by God to ask.

The favor of God was made available, but they needed to take hold of it.

In chapter twelve, we read which we read the Israelites do what God instructed them, and they requested the items from the Egyptians.

They took hold of the favor of God.

Listen, God wants to restore you.

God wants to bless you immeasurably.

God desires for you to take hold of every blessing that He has created for you.

God wants to give you favor.

My question for you this morning: will you receive the favor of the Lord?

Will you receive the favor of the Lord?

Will you enjoy His unmerited, undeserved grace?

Will you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior?

And not only that, will you truly believe in Jesus Christ?

That you are willing to deny yourself and follow his instruction?

Are you willing to take up your cross and follow him and walk in the way of his word?

Will you take hold of the new life that he has provided for you this morning?

I ask you, will you receive the favor of the Lord?

And I want you to answer that this morning.

I'm willing to receive your favor.

I'm willing to take it in my hands and receive it.

Heavenly Father, I thank you for this people of God, those in this house, those who are watching at home, God, recounting your blessings.

Your blessings given to Moses that have been given to us today, God, and I know it just doesn't stop at five blessings.

You continue to bless us and bless us and bless us.

But God, all these blessings, they have this underlying blessing, this cherry on top, this extra special special blessing, and that is your favor.

God, this morning you have made available your favor, and we receive it in Jesus' name.

God, that everything that the enemy has stolen from us, our joy, our peace, our life more abundantly, uh uh, we're taking it back.

We're taking it back and receiving your favor upon us.

God, I know that we don't deserve it.

I know that it's nothing that we have worked for on ourselves, but God, because you're so good, you sent your son Jesus to die on a cross, paying the ultimate sacrifice so we could receive that favor.

God, this morning I pray that no longer will we just sit back, God, and live and walk in our misery, but no, we would live and walk and move and have our being in you.

God, that we would boldly come before you and receive the favor.

Receive the favor.

Take hold of what you have for us this morning.

God, I pray if there's anybody here who has not given their life to you, I pray that today they will receive your salvation.

They'll surrender every broken part over to you and watch you restore.

God, I pray if there's anybody here who has already been walking with you, God, but there's still things in their lives that they need to surrender, I pray that they would be so bold to let go and allow you to continue the work that you've begun in them.

God, we thank you and we praise you for you are good.

Be with us now.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.