Mary was called highly favored of the Lord, but that favor came with both blessing and challenge. In this sermon clip, Bill Johnson talks about favor and our need for it. If Jesus increased in favor with both God and man, then we certainly need to.
it says if Jesus he increased in favor
with God and with man
[Music]
it’s amazing
I understand why he needs to increase in
favor with man
because it’s going to be Zacchaeus it
welcomes him into his home it’s going to
be it’s going to be the Pharisee that
invites him you know to his house to
where Mary washes his feet it’s going to
be these people that give opportunity
for Jesus to step in but how is it that
Jesus the son of God was absolutely
perfect in every possible way how is it
he has to increase in favor with God
I I don’t know I don’t have an answer I
just know if he did
you and I might want to consider our
need for increased favor with God as
well
[Music]
and now the Lord this Angel of the Lord
appears to Mary and says Rejoice highly
favored one
this favor
would cause her
to be valued and celebrated for all of
eternity everywhere the gospel is shared
there is celebration for this woman who
said yes and the Miracle produced Jesus
she is celebrated but she was also
opposed
and favor does that to our surroundings
I I exhort strongly
do not make excuses for the favor of God
simply embrace it and give him the honor
and the credit for I I’ve shared this
even in recent weeks but you know the
whole point is
is when somebody comes to you and they
celebrate you and they thank you and
they tell you did such a great job
please don’t say it wasn’t me it was
Jesus because you know
besides it being nauseating
for the rest of us
I come to somebody and I say it’s a
beautiful song You’re just sang They
tell me
it wasn’t me it was Jesus I’m thinking
yeah it wasn’t that good it was
it was
it was good
it was good but let’s be honest if Jesus
saying that universes would be created
you know if it just is declared word
would have just changed everything so it
wasn’t that it was good but it was not
good
when someone comes to you with a
compliment receive it
if if you don’t know how to receive
honor you’ll have no Crown to throw at
his feet
[Applause]
you have to know how to receive honor
then when you get alone with the Lord
you just say look what was given to me
that belongs to you
it’s a part of the process so back to
the story
Mary is called this highly favored one
and she had both blessing and challenges
because of the favor and favor will do
that I uh the subject of favor is not
our subject today so I’ve got to go
quick on this but a favor is um
favor is the difference between some
people fulfilling why they’re alive and
others who don’t in the issue of favor
people can have a call of God on their
life but never learn the need for favor
and so they never increase in favor and
thus never have the appropriate open
doors to support whatever is needed to
be able to accomplish what God has
called them to do favors the issue
it says if Jesus he increased in favor
with God and with man
it’s amazing
I understand why he needs to increase in
favor with man
because it’s going to be Zacchaeus it
welcomes him into his home it’s going to
be it’s going to be the Pharisee that
invites him you know to his house to
where Mary washes his feet it’s going to
be these people that give opportunity
for Jesus to step in but how is it that
Jesus the son of God who is absolutely
perfect in every possible way how is it
he has to increase in favor with God
and I don’t know I don’t have an answer
I just know if he did oh
you and I might want to consider our
need for increased favor with God as
well and don’t think that what you have
is enough because part of what you need
is what you can obtain through
faithfulness with what you have
so we’ll leave that there let’s move on
down to this uh verse 32 it says in the
last half of the verse the Lord God will
give him the Throne of his father David
that’s strange because in verse 35 it
says he will be called The Son of God
but in verse 32 he’s called the son of
David
hmm
these this is one of the things that is
has marked me is to see
God look at this man David
who God said
he has a heart after my heart
the Lord looked at this man David and
said
I’m going to call my son your son
forever
how do you obtain such a place of favor
with the almighty God that tells me he’s
impressionable it tells me it’s possible
to to leave a mark on his heart he’s not
this robotic
being
is one who has invited us into this
relational Journey
and we’ve got times in scripture where
someone would demonstrate Faith the
Centurion demonstrates Faith the
syrophonish women they demonstrate this
faith and Jesus stops in the middle of
the miracle he says I’ve not seen Faith
like this in all of Israel
how is it that you have God stand up and
go
wow
look at that I’ve never seen anything
like that before
see there are certain responses that the
people of God can have to him that’s not
generic it’s not apathetic it’s Unique
it’s honest it’s real it’s absolute
surrender and he stops and he says you
know what
I’m going to call my son your son
never have I seen such great faith in
all of his Israel’s history
this is a relational Journey
this is not a Christian routine where
you jump through hoops and try to
accomplish
a certain regiment
I’ve been invited to know God
and in my heart of hearts
knowing him is the reason
I’m alive it’s the reason I wake up in
the morning it’s the reason I go to bed
at night it’s the reason behind
everything is this invitation to
actually walk with the one who created
all things and to come to know him
and there’s something about this
privileged invitation that makes
everything else pale in comparison
I remember talking to some young people
years ago
I was in this group of about 20 or so
and I said the claims of Jesus are so
absolutely astronomical
so extreme
that if it is true I owe him my entire
life
to that which is true but if it is a lie
it has made such a mark on history that
I into I owe him my or oh my entire life
to humanity to disprove that this thing
that he has claimed is true in other
words it is a line in the sand that says
choose your side
it is that demanding it is not gray it’s
not a gray area it’s not an apathetic
era it’s not an area that we stand back
and simply applaud it’s like the claims
of this Jesus to actually atone for sin
to make it to where I can have peace
forever with God where his nature can
become my own nature that I am actually
changed from the inside out that I find
out why I’m alive suddenly this becomes
crystal clear
and it becomes clear through the
Redemptive work of Jesus
and here in this moment he’s called the
son of God
but he’s also called the son of David
yeah I’m so glad that you watched this
video I do pray that it’s a great great
strength and encouragement to you and
I’ve got a verse that it really is My
Cry for all of us and it’s Psalms 20
it’s verse 4. may he grant you your
heart’s desire and fulfill all your
plans
that’s my prayer that’s my prayers that
this would be the season of rich rich
fulfillment
thanks for joining us