God’s Favor: Part 4

When Favor is not For You

Introduction: Over the past few weeks I have been speaking to you on the subject of favor. The underserved expression of a greater upon a lesser, in our case it is the Lord Jesus bestowing Favor upon us his children.

WE have been using the book of Esther as a reference point for our teaching and study.

The Story Up to Now:

King Xerxes has removed Queen Vashti
Esther Prepared herself for 12 months for one night with the King.
Esther has found favor with the King and that one night with him has made her queen of all of Persia.
This man named Haman has arranged with the King to have all the Jews killed and the king doesn’t know that Queen Esther is a Jew.
Esther’s uncle Mordecai comes to Esther and tells her of Haman’s plot and asks her to go to the King.
But you are not permitted in the presence of the king unless you have been invited and she hasn’t been invited for 30 days.

Est 4:14 14 For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” NKJV

Est 5:1-8 Now it happened on the third day that Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace, across from the king’s house, while the king sat on his royal throne in the royal house, facing the entrance of the house. 2 So it was, when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, that she found favor in his sight, and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther went near and touched the top of the scepter.

3 And the king said to her, “What do you wish, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given to you — up to half the kingdom!” 4 So Esther answered, “If it pleases the king, let the king and Haman come today to the banquet that I have prepared for him.”5 Then the king said, “Bring Haman quickly, that he may do as Esther has said.” So the king and Haman went to the banquet that Esther had prepared. 6 At the banquet of wine the king said to Esther,”What is your petition? It shall be granted you. What is your request, up to half the kingdom? It shall be done!” 7 Then Esther answered and said, “My petition and request is this: 8 If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, then let the king and Haman come to the banquet which I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king has said.”NKJV

Transition: How do you respond when you are in the presence of the King? Timing Matters…

Courting the King

Introduction: What do you give the man who has everything? We ask that question at men’s birthdays, Christmas and Father’s day…but this isn’t just any man…this is the King.

Let me ask you this question, what do you get or give the King of kings, for we know He Truly has everything.

Be at the Right Place at the Right Time
1. Esther put herself in plain view to be invited in by the king.
2. Touch your neighbor: Get in Place
3. Scripture says, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and come into his courts with praise” (Get in Place)
4. “Humble Yourself under the hand of God and do season he will raise you up”
5. Worship service and church is putting yourself in the right place to be noticed by the King of Kings.
6. David in a shepherd’s field and was noticed by God and was crowned king by God in the field, but acknowledged by others some time later.
7. Get In Place Get In Place Get In Place
8. It is a position of the heart not just a particular place or location.
Don’t Settle for a Seed
1. King Xerxes asks Esther if she wanted half of the Kingdom, it would be hers.
2. Esther already had something that she knew was more valuable and that was the heart of the king.
3. When your wife says, “Nothing is wrong” and you know there is. You keep asking until you find out what it is, even if you really don’t want to know. Because usually you are in trouble.
We As Believers Settle Too Often For Less
1. Do you realize all the promises of God that are yours, but we settle for less.
2. Old Testament:
  1. Duet. Says, “ You are the head and not the tail.” “ You are first and not last”
  2. Isa. States that the Lord would tear heaven apart to get to his own.

Jeremiah said, “Oh that my eyes were a fountain of tears that I might weep day and night over my people” He also said, “ That if we would allow him to he would gather us up like a mother hen would gather her chicks.”

All through the Psalms and Proverbs God gives promises and we settle for less.

New Testament
1. Whatsoever thing you ask for in my name, I will give you.
2. Seek first the Kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you.

Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of beans…
1. When Trey was a child, He settled for a cheap air gun toy when I was going to buy him a more expensive toy for his birthday, but he couldn’t wait.
2. I have seen people do this in relationships.

Have done this with a purchase.

With a decision
Never consult the Lord and make a quick “knee jerk” decision and miss out on God’s best, because they settled for their seed.

Transition: What are you settling for that isn’t God’s best for you?

An apathetic Christian walk and experience
Defeat instead of Victorious Faith
A Negative Attitude verses A Hope filled Attitude
Don’t Settle – Get Favor

Remember our intent is to capture the heart of the king, not just have favor.

Petition From the Position of Intimacy

Ps 91:1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. NKJV

Secret Place
1. Not everyone gets to go into the secret place
2. This comes through relationship, intimacy
3. This is what you get when you been some places with the Lord that others haven’t been.
4. This is the Picture of Peter, James and John who went places the other disciples didn’t go.

We Demand to Much
1. Too many times we demand things from God and shout scripture at him instead of just trying to capture his heart.
2. I don’t come to God on a legal basis; I come to him as a son.
3. Attitude of the Prodigal Son
  1. Give me what is mine.
  2. The father gave it to him, but he left the provision of the house.
4. We as believers sometimes get what we want and find we are like that prodigal; we have left the relationship and substitute it for stuff.

Greatness in Intimacy
1. There is a place in God where you don’t even have to ask the Lord, for He already knows: Scripture says, “Your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him.”
2. God told Moses; “There is place next to me no man has known”

Transition: Exchange your need for God to intimacy with Jesus.

I have saved the title of this message to this point of the message because I want you to understand the importance of Favor being placed upon your life.

When Favor is not For You

Est 4:14

Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

NKJV

Esther understands that there is more at stake than her getting her needs met. There is a generation of her people depending upon her.

Oh, You Thought the Favor Was for You

When Favor Isn’t For You
1. If others are not being blessed because you are Favored
Then the favor is not from the Lord
Or you are using the favor unwisely & ungodly
1. All through Scripture others are blessed when God’s people are Favored.
2. Luke 1:26-38 26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her,”Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” 29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” 34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” 35 And the angel answered and said to her,”The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible.” 38 Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. NKJV

Mary’s Favor brought struggle, ridicule, difficulty, but she was the most favored of all women.
None was more favored than Jesus, yet men reject him and ridicule him and crucified him.
Others should benefit because you are favored.
I dare you to turn and bless 3 people. Tell them You Are Favored!!!

Esther’s Favor Blesses Mordicai
1. Her pursuit of the Kings heart messed him up and kept him up all night.

Est 6:1-3 That night the king could not sleep. So one was commanded to bring the book of the records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king. 2 And it was found written that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, the doorkeepers who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. 3 Then the king said, “What honor or dignity has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?” NKJV

The King had to Bless somebody.
Do you realize when you pray and court the King, he will look for someone to bless on your behalf… Just because you captured his heart.
The King used the one who was trying to kill Mordecai, to turn and bless Mordecai.
God will do that in your life
The one’s that are out to get you, God will turn them around to bless you. That is why He says to his kids, “Bless your enemies.”
Scripture says, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper and every word risen up against you, you shall rise up and condemn.”

Closing:

Have you been so busy seeking God’s hand that you have forgotten to seek His face.
Have you settled for a bowl of beans, when God has so much more
Is Favor worth it enough if you have to be ridiculed and others benefit from it and you don’t.
What have you prepared for the King

Esther prepared a dinner for the king.

Prepared what he liked.

I bet the room even smelled like he liked it.

What have you prepared for the king of Kings today.

A heart that needs to sell out to Christ

A Praise fit for A King

Put on the Garments of Praise for the Spirit of Heaviness

God’s Favor: Part 4

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