God’s Favor: Part 1

God’s Favor: Preparing for Favor Part 1

Introduction:  Usually during the summer I like to cover a book of the bible…sometimes chapter and verse other times highlights from that Book…

So, this June, my desire is to cover the book of Esther…

FAVOR

ratson OT:7522, “favor; goodwill; acceptance; will; desire; pleasure.” The 56 occurrences of this word are scattered throughout Old Testament literature.

Favor also signifies a voluntary or arbitrary decision. (from Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright (c)1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers)

Est 2:1-18

After these things, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus subsided, he remembered Vashti, what she had done, and what had been decreed against her. 2 Then the king’s servants who attended him said: “Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king; 3 and let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather all the beautiful young virgins to Shushan the citadel, into the women’s quarters, under the custody of Hegai the king’s eunuch, custodian of the women. And let beauty preparations be given them.  4 Then let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.”

This thing pleased the king, and he did so.

5 In Shushan the citadel there was a certain Jew whose name was Mordecai the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite. 6 Kish had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captives who had been captured with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away. 7 And Mordecai had brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman was lovely and beautiful. When her father and mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.

Don’t miss this:  The author is letting you know a little about Ester that if not paid special attention too you might miss.  She is a slave girl and not just any slave girl, her mother and father have died.

This girl knows what it is like to go through some stuff.

She knows hard times and trials.

 8 So it was, when the king’s command and decree were heard, and when many young women were gathered at Shushan the citadel, under the custody of Hegai, that Esther also was taken to the king’s palace, into the care of Hegai the custodian of the women. 9 Now the young woman pleased him, and she obtained his favor; so he readily gave beauty preparations to her, besides her allowance. Then seven choice maidservants were provided for her from the king’s palace, and he moved her and her maidservants to the best place in the house of the women.

10 Esther had not revealed her people or family, for Mordecai had charged her not to reveal it.  11 And every day Mordecai paced in front of the court of the women’s quarters, to learn of Esther’s welfare and what was happening to her.

12 Each young woman’s turn came to go in to King Ahasuerus after she had completed twelve months’ preparation, according to the regulations for the women, for thus were the days of their preparation apportioned: six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with perfumes and preparations for beautifying women. 13 Thus prepared, each young woman went to the king, and she was given whatever she desired to take with her from the women’s quarters to the king’s palace. 14 In the evening she went, and in the morning she returned to the second house of the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who kept the concubines. She would not go in to the king again unless the king delighted in her and called for her by name.

15 Now when the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his daughter, to go in to the king, she requested nothing but what Hegai the king’s eunuch, the custodian of the women, advised. And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all who saw her. 16 So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, into his royal palace, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. 17 The king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins; so he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. 18 Then the king made a great feast, the Feast of Esther, for all his officials and servants; and he proclaimed a holiday in the provinces and gave gifts according to the generosity of a king. NKJV

 

Introduction:  Over the next several weeks I want to have a conversation on God’s Favor, It’s Not For You.  There is power and privilege that come with favor.  I don’t want you to make the mistake of finding favor for the sole purpose of getting something out of it, but the relationship value of favor.  I believe we miss this way too often.

  1. A Moment With The King

Introduction:  I believe we have become too casual and comfortable in the presence of the Lord.  We as a people have forgotten or maybe have never known the power that is found in one moment with the king of Glory.

  • God can do anything – yet we treat Him as if he is limited.
  • Greater is He who is in us than he that is in the world – yet we treat God has if He isn’t greater than our issues, our sins or even our circumstances.
  • We give up on what God is able to do on our behalf…
  • One Nod From the King
    1. do you realize the power of a nod
    2. if the king nodded in your favor your whole life would change
    3. When the King nodded at Ester her whole life changed, she went from peasant slave girl, with no parents, an orphan, to the Queen of Persia. All because of a nod.
    4. Ps 84:10

10 A single day in your courts

is better than a thousand anywhere else!

NLT

  1. This scripture is saying that one day in God’s presence can accomplish what would take men 1000’s of days to try to orchestrate.
  2. You say your life is full of trouble and has been that way for years I challenge you to get in His presence for a day and see what God can do.
  3. Never underestimate an opportunity to come before the King of Kings and the Lord of Lord’s.
  4. We look at Worship service and church attendance in such a confused manner, this is our time to come before our King.

Transition:  You cannot come to the King in any manner of your choosing.  Protocol must be met.

  1. And let beauty preparations be given them.
    1. Ester spent 12 months in preparation for one moment in the presence of the King.
    2. She knew her best wasn’t good enough
    3. Jesus knew this about us as well, that is why he said when you pray, pray in “my name” in the name of Jesus.
  • Isaiah said, “Our righteousness is as filthy rags in the sight of the Lord” it is only through the shed blood of Jesus Christ applied to our lives that make us righteous before a King.
  • 12 Months of Preparation
    1. Let me ask a question: How much time did you prepare before coming to church today to enter into the presence of the King of Glory.
    2. What was that preparation period like.
    3. Ester spent 6 months bathing in Myrrh.
  1. Myrrh is bitter, yet puts off an incredible fragrance.
  2. The constant bathing and rubbing of the myrrh oil onto the skin of Ester cleansed, purified, and softened her skin.
  3. Myrrh pictures in scripture the bitterness of repentance giving way to the sweetness of forgiveness and acceptance.
    • All those hard bitter times you went through you know they serve a purpose in you becoming who God intended you to become in Christ.
  1. Ester spent the 2nd 6-month period of time bathing and soaking in “sweet fragrances”
  1. One of the fragrances would have been frankincense which only releases its fragrance in the heat of fire.
  2. This is the kind of incense used in the holy of holies and the holy place of the temple in the Old Testament.
  3. so, we know this is a picture of authentic worship
  4. see some fragrances are only lifted up to God through the intense heat of worship.

  1. The Kings Oil of Anointing

Introduction:  See if you want to find favor with the King you wear what the King likes and enjoys.

  1. How many wear cologne or perfume. Why do you wear it. I wear what I wear because that is what my wife enjoys and she is who I am trying to attract.  She wears curtain perfumes because she knows I enjoy it.
  2. Esther wore the perfumes and bathed in the oils of Anointing that she knew the King liked, not necessarily her preferences.
  3. Who is the Anointing for, you or the King?
  • Who is our worship for? You or the King?

Closing

  If my goal is to find favor with the King, then I wear what He desires for me to wear, and I worship the way He desires for me to worship.

      Never underestimate preparation.

  • Moses Spent 40 years preparing
  • Joshua spent 40 years preparing
  • David spent 16 years preparing
  • Jesus Spent 40 days in preparation
  • Paul spent 3 years in preparing
  • A priest would spend time in preparing before ever entering the temple.
  • The bible tells us to prepare before we come into God’s presence. It says to enter His gates with thanksgiving and enter His courts with Praise. We should enter God’s house with the right attitude, knowing that one moment in his presence could change my entire life and destiny…

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