Favor When You Don't Deserve It

God has always intended to enjoy relationship with us

I think it’s important to remember that God has always intended to enjoy relationship with us on the highest level. Bear with me in this. I know we’ve talked about this on and off through many years. Some of you just heard it within the last few weeks or months, but it’s an idea we need to continue to promote. It’s more than an idea, it’s a revelation from God’s word that we need to promote and elevate in our thinking. Are you listening to me? In fact, it’s good to think on it every day. That God loves me, he loves me, but he always intended for me to enjoy a relationship, an everyday 24-7 relationship with him on the highest level. It was his intention for us to experience.

We’re going to talk about favor today, define it in a minute for you. But it was his intention for us to experience his grace and his favor to experience again and live in it as if we really knew what it was. And in Christ, this is going to get you. But he wants a deep friendship with you. Am I good enough? How’d I do God? And more times than not, if that’s your approach to this relationship, you’ve got a big gap between you and God. It’s not because of God, it’s because of, again, just not thinking right and believing about this relationship.

Jesus didn’t die on a cross for just Sunday morning

Jesus didn’t die on a cross as a 33-year-old man and bleed out there. So you could just do this on Sunday morning and say amen and that’d be it. Or a good deed during the week, and then you’re looking for heaven, and you hope still, you confess Jesus as Lord, but you still wonder from time to time if you’re going to heaven when you die. I was on the phone not that long ago with a man who had been a member of this church family for years and years and years. I had married him to a woman in this church, and they were faithful members. She still is. But he was dying.

And he was in Texas at the time in a hospital there, and I got a phone call from him. And then his voice was trembling. And I called his name and I said, Why are you so afraid? He says, I don’t know. When I die, when my heart stops beating, I’m not sure, Pastor, where I’m gonna go. And I counseled him just for a little bit. Stayed on the subject of the faithfulness of God. It’s not our faithfulness that gets us there. It’s hard for maybe hard for some of you, but listen to me, it’s not. God doesn’t love you because you’re so lovable.

God doesn’t love us because we’re lovable

Thank you, Lord. Now, some of you are real lovable. You’re a good squeeze. Some of you not so much. We’ll work with you on that. But the truth of the matter is God doesn’t love us because we’re lovable. He loves us because he is love. It’s not just something he has that he puts on like a suit or a pair of pants or shirt. It’s who he is. And so he’s constantly loving you. I don’t feel that. Well, feelings again change. Not to think different, to feel different. You know?

And I just feel that there are many of us who are still struggling with this, it’s an ungodly tension when it comes to how God really feels about you and what he thinks about you. And I’m talking right now, especially to those of you who misbehave. You’ve done it this morning before you came to church. You know it. You lost your temper. You were thinking the wrong kind of thing. Your behavior doesn’t line up with what God has taught you. You aren’t so loving. You weren’t so caring. You were sharp with your words. You said nasty things with your tongue. You thought things you shouldn’t have thought.

God’s love toward you hasn’t changed

And yet hear me. God’s love toward you hasn’t changed. And he hasn’t moved away from you. He didn’t take a step back when thank you, God. He didn’t take a step back when you sinned. He took a step forward. Toward you. He doesn’t come at you like this. Even when he corrects, it’s not like this. He comes at you like this. That’s right. With strong hands. But gentle hands. Who can embrace you and cause all the darkness to flee. Hallelujah. All of it goes. Can’t be in the same room with him. You can’t stay when you embrace him. Are you listening?

Especially. And we’ve got to be careful, those of us who think we’re really good. We did it good today. He doesn’t love you because you did that. He didn’t take a step closer to you because you did it all right. In fact, I’d love to meet you, whoever you are. Dear Jesus. Love to write a book about you. Are you listening to me? There’s something there that we’ve got to have more of, greater understanding of, great, need to experience it on a much higher level than what we do.

A personal story of friendship

I didn’t either, but I am. Eighth grade. Wilkinson Junior High School, middle school. We called them junior. High schools back then. And got to know her and I just felt like, you know, going on through school. I would, and then we grew closer course and ended up marrying her one year out of high school. I married her in 1973. So I’ve known her since the eighth grade, 1967 till today. And I’ve been married to her since 1953. Cindy 73. Cindy hates for me to talk about this. I don’t care. I really love to talk about it.

Let me tell you what I’m getting at. I never thought, especially during high school, when I finally, toward the end of high school into the summer, is when I made an adult decision to follow Jesus Christ as Lord. I’d been an in and out of church, raised my hands with invitations that are usually given at the end of church. One will be given in a few minutes today. And I’d raise my hand and I’d cry and I’d feel good for a few days or weeks, and then I’d fall back in my old way of life and doing life. She was always there in the highs and lows, the good, the bad. When I was a good guy, when I was a not so good guy, she was always there.

We were at her home one night. First, we didn’t weren’t there much alone. Her parents were pretty good about that. They really kept a good watch on her and on me. But we were alone that night. They trusted us to be alone in the house that night. Again, and it was either I was a junior or senior. Cindy goes to the kitchen. She says, Do you want something to drink? I stay back for just a few minutes. She says to me, Do you want something to drink? Meaning Dr. Pepper or Coca-Cola or water or tea. And I said, Yes, Dr. Pepper, which God loves. I found out. He loves that drink.

The Christmas story is about God fixing something

I didn’t know it then, but I actually grew up drinking it from a bottle. My dad delivered Dr. Pepper on trucks. So sometimes I’d get a little treat in my little baby bottle. Dr. Pepper. I haven’t prayed about that addiction. I just let it go. God can judge me when we go to heaven. But she was there rattling around in the kitchen. True story. And I finally got up and I walked over to the kitchen where she was. Again, only two of us in the house. I saw a Dr. Pepper bottle out. Nothing better than Dr. Pepper and a bottle. Don’t let people fool you about the can. It’s in a bottle that it’s the best. 10, 2, and 4.

So she, there’s the bottle, Dr. Pepper bottle. And she’s pouring. There are three glasses, three glasses out on the counter. There’s only two of us in the house. Three glasses on the counter. Now I’m getting a little jealous. Who is this? Where are they? And I said, Cindy, you got three glasses. Who’s here that I don’t know about? And she got so embarrassed in her beautiful cheeks. She still has some most beautiful cheeks. And they turned red, just like a tomato red. She was so embarrassed over what was happening. And she finally got the words out to answer my question. Who’s here? She said, I just poured Dr. Pepper for Jesus. Because he’s here with us. Wow. Come on, somebody. Come on.

Just that’s how realationship was. And I learned that night. And I’ve continued to learn it. I’ve worked at learning it. Because I never thought I would meet anyone who is a better friend than Cindy. But let me tell you today. If there is a better friend. And God has always wanted that level of friendship with us. The Christmas story is about God fixing something that had been broken by Adam and Eve’s choice and decision in the garden. I mean, there’s some so many great theological views at the cross. But bottom line, Jesus loves so much. Father God loves so much. Abba Father. Love so much that he gave his only begotten Son to redeem us, to take care of what had separated us, to take care of the death that was now in the spirits of men.

Jesus came as the breath of life

Because by the time Jesus came to earth, men had already taken his last spiritual breath. He died, the Bible says, she died, the Bible says, when they said, we’re going to disobey God, and we’re going to choose a life independent of him. Jesus, you said, don’t. We said, we’re going to anyway. They did. They died. And so men were born in sin from that moment forward. When Jesus came, he came as the breath of life. Men were in darkness, bound by it, couldn’t see. Not talking about physically, spiritually. They couldn’t see. Jesus was the light. He came as the light.

In the beginning was the word. The word was with God. The word was God. All things were made by him. Without him, there was nothing made that was made. In him was life. And the life was also the light of men.

He came to rescue all of mankind. And to do that, ladies and gentlemen, he had to decide, listen, to be gracious. He had to decide to show favor. Because nobody that he was wanting to help, that he was determined to help, and all of mankind could deserve it. Again, could earn it, merit it, be good enough. Nobody. Paul, in his great letter to the church at Rome in one place, said, all, in case you’re wondering, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And every effort mankind made to get to God fell short. Every step he took was a short step. And he failed to satisfy God’s justice in this area.

Favor is primarily about purpose and provision

No man, then, no man now can again stand on his own and say, God, give me salvation because of who I am. Give me salvation because of what I have done. I’m a good person. I’m really not that bad. Ask my mother. She really thinks I’m a good person. Even though I know she told me at times I wasn’t. She tells me now I’m a good boy. I’m a good person. They tell me that at work. They tell me that at church. I give, I pray, I read my Bible. God, let me in. Let me into your life and let me into heaven. Let me in.

Jesus was clear when he made a statement recorded in the New Testament in our gospels. When he said this, he said, There’s a day coming where men will stand before me just like that, and they’ll claim their goodness and good works. They’ll say, Haven’t we done this? And haven’t we done that? And haven’t we even cast out devils? And Jesus, the Bible, Jesus said this. He said, I’ll have to say to them, depart from me. Because I’ve never known you. See, it’s all about relationship. Right, right. Right. Yeah. It’s about relationship. It’s about relationship. It’s about intimacy. Not about achievement. Oh God, help me. It’s not about achievement, family. It’s about intimacy. What a friend we have in Jesus. All our sins and griefs to bear. Amen.

He approached a young woman. Name was Mary. Was the picture of, you know, you say what you want to, but she was a woman in a strong male society. She was worth as much as cattle, maybe. Young teenager. Really hadn’t achieved anything in her life. When God sent the great angel Gabriel to talk to her. She’s a perfect example of who we all were. We didn’t see it coming. You know. But Pastor, I’m taught that she was sinless. Well, she wasn’t. Just believe the Bible instead. I said, believe the Bible instead. That’s right. There were no sinless people on the planet until Jesus showed up. Amen.

Luke 1, 26 through 28. Let’s just read it. It says, now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, Rejoice, highly favored. Say it, highly favored. Highly favored one. The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women.

Very quickly, what is favor? Let’s be on the same page about it. Favor is one of the many streams that flows from grace. Grace is manifold. It has many different expressions. I’m almost done. 1 Peter 4, 10. We are told to be good stewards over the manifold grace of God. It just tells us that grace shows up in many different ways. Favor is one of the many streams that flows out from God’s grace.

Again, Mary here’s the ultimate underdog. She’s young, poor, overlooked, and of all things from Nazareth. Even Jesus, you know, said about Nazareth. Whether he agreed or not, he said about Nazareth. How can anything good come out of there? And this is where she was from. As she stood again before the angel with this news. Scripture says she found favor. Didn’t say anything about her deserving favor because you can’t. Salvation, listen to me, not achieved, it’s received. Say it with me. Salvation is not achieved. It’s received. There’s a difference.

I hear favor is primarily, listen, about purpose and about provision. About purpose and about provision necessary for the fulfillment of the purpose. Mary was finding out a purpose here. The purpose of God was being opened up to her about a life or her mission in life. And with it came provision, even though she may not have known it at the moment. God will never ask you to do something without also giving you an overflowing supply to do it. That’s right. He can’t help but love you. He just can’t. He just can’t.

A Christmas story is a wonderful reminder that God’s favor is a matter of election and not merit. Let me say this to you. This is powerful. I’m trying to get done here, and I will. Favor is primarily about purpose and provision. Listen to this. Favor is grace working outwardly. Doors opening. Opportunities coming. Protection. Provision overflowing so that God’s plans and purposes can come to pass. Amen.

Favor flows to those who are available

I gotta say it because it’s real. It didn’t happen that long ago. I got in a bad situation. I bought a used car. Everything looked good on it. I should have had a mechanic look at it before I bought it, listened to my wisdom. But I got it anyway. I love the car. Fell in love with it on the internet. The company’s supposed to reveal everything that’s wrong with it, or is a question about it, and they didn’t this time. I bought the car and I realized later it had two headlights that were both very expensive, that neither one of them worked the way they were supposed to. One of them was cosmetically ruined.

And the manager at the place I bought it said, we’ll fix that, which he never did. And then I, as I took it to the other dealership that makes the car, they worked on it. I asked them to align the headlights when they replaced the other one, and they said they would. And you know what? They called me and said, We can’t. And I said, What happened? He said they broke a mechanism on the inside of the lamp. And instead of be able to fit the fix the mechanism, they have to replace the whole headlamp. So I bought the car, and I love the car, still do. Have these headlamps, very expensive. I paid for one. They said they were going to replace it for me. They never did.

And I got really upset. I know you don’t, but I did. Your pastor, founding pastor, got upset, and I had prepared to write two letters that were very, very angry letters. One of them I was gonna write it. The third letter, it wasn’t bad. It was actually asking help. And I turned before I could write that letter, the Spirit of God rose up on the inside of me and said, You’re gonna tear that up when you finish it. I said, Well, then I won’t write it. And he said, That’s a good idea. My friend, the Holy Spirit was helping me process this.

I didn’t realize when I changed my mind, changed my approach, guys, that God was gonna work some things, and he was gonna do it with favor. So I wrote a kind letter to the company. I told them what happened, just wrote out the detail, and I said, if you want to change your mind about hasn’t you had I still don’t have this headlight. If you don’t want to replace it, is there just something we can do? Sincerely. Well, that was hard. Because I wasn’t very sincere. Sincerely, Marshall Townsley, phone number. Wrote the wrote another the another letter, and it was to I gotta shorten this.

It was to the uh, I think uh he’s part ownership of the dealership, and he’s over everything. And I know him from for nine years because he worked at another dealership in the city, and we got to know each other, and I didn’t know if he would remember me because I hadn’t talked to him in a while. So I wrote him a letter. And I said, uh, you know, I don’t expect you to do anything about this, but I need your advice. Is this headlight, especially this one that they can’t fix the mechanism in? Would it happen to be under warranty? And he, I didn’t know if I’d hear back from him because I hadn’t heard back from the other one.

He he, I was in the gym, I got out of the gym, got in my car in the parking lot, and the phone rings, and it’s him. And I pick up the phone, hello, he says, How are you, Marshall? I said, Well, I am just surprised you’d call me. He said, Why? We’re friends, aren’t we? I said, You know we are. Thanks for calling. And then I he said, you know what? I got some sad news for you. That’s not under warranty, and we can’t cover the cost of anything for you under warranty. He said, I am so sad we can’t. Took a pause and he said, but I love butts like this. I shouldn’t say that in church. You know what I mean.

Anyway, he said, he said, but he said, you doesn’t mean that you have to take the hit. I’m gonna do something for you. Don’t you worry about it. You just let me know, bring the car in when you’re ready, and we’ll take care of you. He didn’t tell me how much or what. He just said, I’ll take care of you. Okay. And I wrote the third letter. I wrote it to the corporate company of the car I bought, the car that the company I bought the car from. And again, I didn’t, I still hadn’t heard anything from that person. So I wrote a letter, and I hadn’t heard something, so I just thought, okay, here we are.

Thank you, God. I know you’ll supply the need. You always do. And because you’re my friend. And so what happened was is I got a phone call from the corporate company. A lady named Tibby. She said, Not Libby, but Libby with a T. It’s Tibby. I said, Tibby, it’s good to hear from you. What’s going on? She says, I want you to tell me your story, because that’s not the way our company company operates. And I said, Do you really want to hear it? Yeah. So I told her the story. She said, Well, let me just talk to some people. I can’t make the decision on my own, but we’re going to get back to you.

I said, I think we’re going to do something. You’re tired of hearing the story? Here we go. Bottom line was this. I never heard from that person at the place I bought the car from. I heard from the supervisor, the operating manager, just a voicemail saying that they were sorry that it had taken so long. But that was pretty much it. And then I got a phone call from Tibby, and she said, Marshall, our company is going to fully refund you for what it cost for that light and to replace it, including the tax. We’re going to take care of it. Hallelujah.

I’ve still got one light to fix. So I’m I call this this company, my friend is at. Turns out that he’s gonna, he’s gonna give me the part, not give me the part. He’s gonna charge me for the part, but I get a 25%, I get the employees discount. Didn’t ask for anything. I get an employee’s discount. That’s 25% on this part, which is a big help. And then he said, and 50% off the labor. Which was sweet. Can somebody help me here? And it was God’s favor. There’s a verse that James uses in our Bible that James wrote. He says, the wrath of man never works the righteousness of God. Which means it’s not profitable.

So if anything, I didn’t deserve to get anything from God or anybody. But I turned with God’s help, my friend, the Holy Spirit, and said, instead, Lord, step into this with me and grant me some favor. And I’ll be the favor. Hey, by the way, the favor’s still in motion. I believe the rest of that’s gonna be taken care of. God’s gonna supply the need. Amen. I just had to share that with you. Is it okay? Because I want you to know that what we’re talking about when it comes to favor, it’s where the rubber meets the road. It’s just not a nice Christian idea. Come on, we would be going to hell today, but instead we’re going to the riches and the glory of heaven. And we’re going to get to continue this friendship with Jesus on into eternity.

Let me just make these statements and I’m done. Number one, I want you to know that favor flows to those who are available. Say available. We think favor comes against to those who perform well or grayed out well with God. We’ve kind of got the scorekeeping relationship with God. We tend to again to relate with God through achievement rather than intimacy. And yet, God, the Bible says, brothers and sisters, consider who you were when God called you to salvation. Not many of you were wise scholars by human standards, nor were many of you in positions of power. Not many of you were considered the elite when you answered the call to God.

Little Mary didn’t know what to do. She just humbled herself and she said, Lord, let it be unto me. Just let just do your word. That’s I’ll receive your word. I am I just don’t get it. I don’t know why you picked me because there are other virgins out there. There are people that have led better lives. There are people who know you better than I do. They have a deeper relationship with you. I’m not, I don’t know why you would do this. You were shaking, I’m sure. And the Lord said through the angel Gabriel, he just said, God’s chosen you. That’s what you got to do sometimes too. Amen. Amen.

Notice those times when you deserve just the opposite of what you got. Notice them. Put them down in your little book. Notice them when you deserve something really the opposite of what you get, that’s favor. It’s an expression of God’s grace.

Favor is about position, not performance

Number two, favor is about position, not performance. Position, not performance. Again, because favor is an expression of grace, it’s not something we should expect to earn from God. We tend to think favor is a reward for being good enough or talented enough, not true. If grace and favor is something that we can qualify for, then we what we receive is not grace or favor. If you can earn it, then what you’re getting is not grace or favor.

In fact, the Bible says this, Romans 11, 6, and if by grace, then it’s no longer of works. Otherwise, grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it’s no longer grace. Otherwise, work is no longer work. Simply, grace is grace, works are works, and never the twain shall meet. Amen. We’re not saved by a mixture of grace and works. We’re saved by grace through faith. And again, faith is not a work. Faith is not a work, it’s a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Even to be born again, you had to have the help of the Holy Spirit. Aren’t you glad God provided it? Amen.

You are preferred by God, not because you are perfect or show signs of perfection, but because, listen, this is important. You have position in Christ. You’re favored, not because of behavior. You’re favored because of position. You change when you put forth.