Well, hallelujah.
Amen.
Good to see you this morning.
If you have your Bibles, open with me to Proverbs, Proverbs chapter 8 for just a moment.
Hallelujah.
Aren't you glad your name's written down in that Lamb's book of life?
Amen.
I am so, so glad.
Good to see you this morning.
I'll see you a little better in just a second.
Proverbs is a not a very, we don't go there a lot.
We'll quote one or two from time to time, but very rarely do I ever take a text from
Proverbs.
I know you have read the book of Proverbs.
Oh, good.
Read it again.
It's good for you.
Every son, every son should read the book of Proverbs.
Gentlemen, you need to read it if you haven't.
If you have, you need to read it again for a refresher.
Every son needs to read the book of Proverbs.
That's an instruction, isn't it?
Amen.
Chapter 8, looking at verse 32, we'll start.
Now, therefore, hearken unto me, O you children, for blessed are they that keep my ways.
Hear instruction and be wise and refuse it not.
Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the post of
my doors.
Here's where I want us to focus.
Verse 35, for whoso findeth me, findeth life and shall obtain favor of the Lord.
For whoso findeth me, findeth life and shall obtain favor of the Lord.
Last week, I preached to you on that thought, living on the good side.
We discussed those ten attributes that we needed to have in our lives for the favor
of God to be on our lives.
Some of that was kind of hard, wasn't it?
Some of that was kind of hard preaching, living pure, self-denial.
So this week, we're going to pick it up a little bit.
We're going to talk about the benefits of the good life.
Amen?
So let's ask the Lord to have his way in our heart and life this morning.
Father, we do love you.
We thank you for your goodness and your mercy, the abundance of your grace and love.
Lord, I thank you for your presence in the house today, for truly, truly you're here
with us this morning, oh God, because your people have entered into worship.
We have lifted our hands.
We've lifted our hearts.
Our voices have been raised to you.
And so we're grateful.
We're thankful this morning for all that you bestow upon us.
Now have your way.
The remainder this morning, Lord, be quick to praise you for it all.
Christ loved the name and the church said, amen, you can be seated.
Benefits of the good life.
I think there's something we should never forget.
And that one thing would be that God's plan for our lives is blessing and favor.
If you remember what Jeremiah the prophet said is the Lord would move upon him.
I know the thoughts that I have towards you, saith the Lord, right?
Said it's good.
It's not evil.
And there's a hope and an expected end that I have that I have planned for your life.
And I know from time to time, if we're if we're not careful, we can we can let our eyes
be drawn away from the fact that God's blessing in favor is his will for our life because
of what the enemy does in life and while we're trying to live life and all that he does and
brings against our lives.
And if it's it's hard for us sometimes not to think about what the enemy's doing.
And we've we fail to remember all the benefits that the Lord has given and made it and provided
for us.
And you know, last week as we talked about that self denial, self denial is not an easy
thing.
Self surrender, total surrenders.
It's not easy to subvert our will to the will of God because our human nature is contrary
to the will of God and the word of God, and we have to bring ourselves into alignment.
And so that sometimes that's not an easy thing to do.
Has anybody had trouble with yourself getting yourself in a line?
Yeah, well, if you haven't, hold on.
It's coming because the enemy is going to come against you in so many different ways.
And it's just our nature that we we let our guard down and we let our faith down and our
trust and confidence in God.
What I'm here to share with you today, if you're endeavoring to do the things that we
we talked about last week and you're doing your very best, then the blessings and the
benefits of God are going to be afforded to you because of his favor in your life.
That's what the that's what Solomon was writing.
And that's what he was telling and sharing.
If we're going to keep the Lord's ways and we're going to strive after the Lord, he's
going to let blessing and favor be upon you shall obtain.
It's not a maybe.
It's not a if.
It's a promise that God has for us.
The psalmist would introduce us to that thought in Psalm 103.
Bless the Lord, oh, my soul and all that is within me.
Bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, oh, my soul and forget not all his benefits.
Sometimes we forget about what his benefits are.
Who forgives all our iniquities, who heals all our diseases, who redeems our lives from
destruction, who crowns us with loving kindness and tender mercy, who satisfies our mouth
with good things so that our youth is renewed like the eagles.
Hallelujah.
Those are the benefits.
Just a few.
Hear me.
The one benefit that is worth it all is that he forgives us of all of our iniquities.
If he didn't do anything else for us, if there was no other benefit other than him just saving
and cleansing our soul and making us available to heaven.
What else is there?
Is that not the greatest benefit?
Truly the benefit of the believer.
The package is out of this world.
Hallelujah.
You've heard that pun intended.
The benefit package for the child of God is out of this world.
But while we are in this world, however, God's blessings and favor enters into this realm,
enters into where you are, and he blesses and adds grace and adds goodness to our life.
That's what the psalmist is declaring.
So when we think about favor, Webster puts it this way, it's a spirit of approval, good
will or liking.
It's partiality, an act of kindness or generosity.
Unfair partiality, favoritism, attractiveness to be partial to, prefer unfairly to help,
assist to do a kindness or an endorsing.
If you were glued in front of a TV at any point yesterday and said sporting events,
there was favoritism all across the board.
Amen?
Undue, unfair, depends on if you're on the winning or the losing side.
If you're on the winning side, then it was favor.
Amen?
If you're on the losing side, then it was unjust.
So when we're in this life and we're living it like, whew, Lord help us this morning,
this is hard plowing.
If you don't get much better, I promise I'll stop, we'll pray, you go eat lunch.
If this don't get to somewhere soon, I will not belabor the point, I promise you, until
I make myself happy here.
So when we understand to be favored means to be regarded or treated with favor, to be
provided with an advantage, to be provided with an advantage, you saw many advantages
provided yesterday for those on the opposing side.
It works that same way with God because the enemy is on the opposing side and he has undue
advantage because he bestows favor upon you and those favors are seen through the benefits
that God has for you.
So I declare to you this morning, forget not the benefits of the Lord.
Call upon your soul to be reminded that you do not forget all of the benefits and the
goodness that the Lord has bestowed upon your life and is made available because you are
walking in alignment for favor to be released upon your heart and your life.
We're more familiar than we think with the idea of favor.
You know, the Greek word for favor is kairos and this is where we get our word grace, it
is where we get our word for the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the charismata, where the
Spirit of God is unleashed upon and in our lives so that we have undue advantage over
the enemy.
Amen.
And I want you to know that the unfair advantage is on your side against the enemy.
I'm here to tell you there's nothing fair about doing warfare with the enemy.
Hallelujah.
And the benefits that the Lord brings into your life and into our lives because of our
faithfulness to his word.
He that finds my way, he that findeth me, hallelujah.
He that seeks me out, he that looks for me shall obtain a favor.
Isn't that what the prophets said?
Isn't that what Solomon wrote?
He that finds and loves my ways, he that loves the Lord and seeks him out, he shall obtain
favor.
What are you trying to tell me, pastor?
Good news, good things are coming your way.
You're about to check into your benefit package because of the goodness of the Lord.
Hallelujah.
Why?
Because you love his ways.
You're seeking out his way and his favor is about to be unfairly poured out into your
life because he loves you and you love him.
And because of that, that wonderful gift of the charismata when the spirit of God, when
the Holy Ghost is about to unfairly empower you, endu you, able you, that you become the
victor of every circumstance set against you.
Some of those benefits, some of those favors, blessings know this.
God's favor will and can produce supernatural increase and promotion in our lives.
Genesis 39 and 21, but the Lord was with Joseph.
Somebody needs to hear that today.
But the Lord was with Joseph.
Who's Joseph?
Well, you remember, he was the youngest son at the moment.
He was the favored son, right?
He was the favored son.
He had the coat of many colors.
He had been given dreams and visions from the Lord and he shares them with his brothers
and their jealousy drives them to take him captive would have taken his life except for
one of his brothers interceded on his behalf.
So they sold him into slavery, threw him in a pit, sold him into slavery, but God was
with him.
My Lord, somebody needs to hear that today.
Oh, here, I'm going to read it to us one more time.
But the Lord was with Joseph.
Amen.
He was down in a pit.
He was pulled out of a pit and sold into slavery.
He was put into service in a man by the name of Potiphar's house.
He was doing his best.
He was doing what was right.
He was upright before the Lord and before those he was in labor to until the tide turned.
But yet he still stood for the Lord.
Amen.
When Potiphar's wife set her eyes on him, he left that place running.
Hallelujah.
Because of integrity and because of who God is.
But the Lord was with Joseph.
So he goes from an endangered servant and slavery into a prison.
But God didn't leave him in a prison.
I ain't got time to preach the butler story to you.
Just know this.
God was with Joseph and he found favor.
He found favor at Potiphar's house.
He found favor in the pit in the dungeon.
And he would find favor in Pharaoh's palace.
Hallelujah.
Why?
Because the Lord was with Joseph.
Everybody needs to know this morning.
It doesn't matter what's coming against you.
The Lord is with you.
Woo.
Well, glory.
You don't need any other benefit than to know that.
The Lord, if he was with Joseph, he is with you.
I'm going to try to read the rest of that verse.
Oh, my Lord.
But the Lord was with Joseph.
Showed him mercy.
And he's had a little mercy.
He showed me a lot, not a little.
He showed me a lot of mercy and I'm needing some today.
He showed him mercy.
And look what he gave him.
And he gave him favor in the side of the keeper of the prison.
Pastor, what are you trying to say?
Whatever you are right now, whatever circumstance has got you surrounded, God will bring that
unfair advantage to you.
I don't know how long he had to keep staying in that prison.
I don't know how much longer he had to stay there.
But what I do know is this.
God was with him.
The Lord was with Joseph and he gave him favor.
What are you saying, pastor?
I'm saying you align up to the ten points of last week and keep your eyes lifted toward
heaven because favor is coming your way.
You remain pure.
Hallelujah.
You remain obedient.
You remain surrendered.
Hallelujah.
You keep your testimony in the forefront and your praise lifted high.
Hallelujah.
You keep your faith and expectancy at the level and you can know that God will meet
you in your prison.
He'll meet you in your bondage.
He'll show and extend favor to where you are.
It's the benefit of living the good life.
Woo.
Wasn't so good for him.
He was in a pit and in a prison.
Yeah.
But he ended up in the palace.
Too many people looking in the rear view mirror.
Hello.
It would do good for every believer in your spiritual vehicle of faith to tear that thing
off the windshield.
Why?
Because who cares what's behind you?
Well, somebody should have shouted out the door because what's behind you is under the
blood.
God took Joseph out of a bad situation and he eventually, see that's the one we're not
good with.
We're not a good with eventually.
The Lord was with him.
The Lord gave him favor and eventually he ended up in the palace.
Eventually.
What do we do in the meantime?
Boy, that could preach next week, couldn't it?
We might just save that because I got to move on.
Sister, can you write that down because I'll be looking for that.
What did I say I was going to preach next?
Sometimes we say that the key for Joseph was that he ran from evil.
But the fact is that God's favor was on him.
That's the fact.
God's hand was on Joseph.
It started with his dreams and visions.
The Lord already knew what he was going to do with Joseph and he could trust Joseph.
I'm just trying to get it where he can trust me.
Hello?
I'm just trying to get my life in alignment where he can just trust me.
Trust you with what?
His favor, his blessing, his anointing.
Hallelujah.
His goodness and his grace.
God's favor produces supernatural increased promotion.
Secondly, God's favor brings restoration of everything that the enemy has taken.
We need some restoration knowing.
Some of you don't even know where your joy is at.
You're just functioning.
You're just out of habit.
You're just getting up because it's the routine that you're trained to.
I use my dog's as illustration.
You use yours for other things.
I use mine for illustration.
Our garage door is broken.
I've got to get a guy to come over and do that spring deal it broke into.
Instead of picking up that 12 foot door, if St. Catharine's not around, I just open the
door and we take them out.
I take them out the back door.
The black one has finally figured out, old train, SPAS I call it, if I'm not calling
him stupid.
He's figured out some things.
He's figured out the route.
It only took me about twice having to smack him on the end of the nose so that he don't
run through the house.
Cathy's dog just does what she wants to.
Kindly takes after her owner.
I don't know if y'all noticed that shiner she's got.
I didn't do that.
We were working here in the church as you got that, but now I'm not going to guarantee
about the one I may bring back next week.
If I got one, you know this didn't go over well.
He's kindly learned there's a process.
How to go in and how to come out and how to behave himself in between.
Sometimes we have to learn that there's a process and restoration has a process in our
life.
There's a mode.
There's a reason I was telling you that story, but it's gone.
God's favor brings restoration.
Every time the enemy comes in and takes something from us, you need to know that that was not
God's will nor God's design.
You and I don't have to sit idly by to surrender it.
I remember the story of David at a place called Ziglag when he and the army's out doing war.
The Philistines circle around behind them and they come in and take captive all of their
wives and their children and they carried them off.
I read that story where David is down and he's depressed.
He's crying.
He's moaning within himself of his own family, but not only his own, but all of his men.
He was a true leader and he bore the weight of those that were lost around him.
When his men turned on him and began to ridicule him and were ready to take him out, David,
this is your fault.
The scripture says that David encouraged himself in the Lord.
He had to pick him on self up.
Somebody here this morning, you need to hear this.
You're going to have to grab your own bootstraps and you got to pick your own self up and encourage
your own self in the Lord because God's benefits are for you and no one, no one can cash in
on them, but you, you have the right, you have the authority that's been given to you
to file the benefits that he's given for you.
So you got to pick yourself up, encourage yourself and know that restoration is able
to come your way.
He encourages himself in the Lord and then he goes to the Lord in prayer and he asks
the Lord, can he go get it?
The Lord says, yes, rise.
And I'm going to tell you something, David, you're not only going to get it, but you're
going to get it all back.
Rise and go forth.
Somebody needs to hear that this morning.
You just simply got to get up, get up and start after it and God will see fit that you
get it.
He's going to restore to you the joy of your salvation, the joy and knowing his favor.
Exodus 321 and I will give this people favor talking in the sight of the Egyptians and
it shall come to pass that when you go, you shall not go empty.
Oh Lord, hallelujah.
The Lord says, you tell my people that I'm going to have favor in the Egyptian eyes on
behalf of them.
And when it comes time for you to go, you're not going to go empty handed.
Somebody needs to hear that this morning.
God's not just going to open the door and cause you to escape and let you get out by
the skin of your teeth, but he's going to open a door and he's going to let you go and
you're not going empty handed.
Why?
Because his favor and it's in his benefits released upon your life.
You shall not go empty.
It's not if, it's not maybe, but the Lord said when.
That eventually, right?
You're eventually going to get out and when you do, you're not going empty handed.
Now I want you to know that should cause some resolve to enter into somebody's life.
You may feel bound and in prison.
So was Joseph, but the Lord was with him.
The Lord was with Joseph.
The Lord gave him favor with those in the prison and some of you may be in prison on
a job site, but I promise you, if you are the Christian on your job site that you're
supposed to be, God will give you favor with those around you.
He did them.
Psalm 105 37 declares, he brought them forth also with silver and gold and there was not
one feeble person among them.
God had the Israelites ready for a road trip.
Amen.
Even they old folk wasn't feeble, they just old.
I'm going to go on.
John 10 10 says the thief come not but to steal, to kill and to destroy.
Jesus said, I have come that you might have a lot and have it more abundant.
That's two.
You got time for four more.
Understand that God is able to bring bad situations and turn them into good ones.
Isn't that what Joseph said?
What you meant for evil when he looked at his brothers, what you meant for evil, God
meant for good.
Another situation when there was prophecy against the children of Israel, there was
a curse put upon them.
The prophet declared that he will reverse the curse.
That'll preach.
Some of you need a little bit of reversing going on.
Hello, anybody need a little reversal action?
I'm ready to see the enemy reverse and take course away from me.
The favor of God brings honor in the midst of it adversaries.
Exodus 11 and three and the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of Egyptians.
Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt in the side of Pharaoh's
servants and in the sight of the people.
He can lift you up in the face of your adversaries.
God's favor will give great and unusual victories even against impossible odds.
These are the benefits of living the good life.
Joshua six and 20.
So the people shouted with the priest, you'll recognize this story of being at Jericho.
The people shouted when the priest blew with the trumpets and it came to pass.
Then the people heard the sound of the trumpet and the people shouted with a great shout
that the wall fell down flat so that the people went up into the city.
Every man straight before him and they took the city against impossible odds.
The walls came down.
It happened after it came to pass.
Eventually the trumpets are in the front.
The people are in back and they're going in a circle.
I don't know how long it took those at the end of the line to hear the trumpet blast.
It took a little while.
It took a little time and when it came to pass, when the trumpets were heard, the people
shouted a great shout.
Again, what are we doing in the meantime?
Chapter 10 verse nine, Joshua therefore came unto them suddenly, impossible odds, and he
went up from Gilgal all night and the Lord disconfited them before Israel and slew them
with a great slaughter at Gibeon.
He chased them along the way that goeth up to Bithoran and smote them in Azacka and Micachaea.
Hail stones fell from the sky.
There was a forced march.
They marched all night.
Twenty some odd miles from Gilgal to Gibeon and when they got there, they surprised the
enemy.
But the greatest surprise was God fought for them.
What are you saying pastor?
I'm saying you just show up.
You just show up.
You just get in pursuit and you just show up.
Part of the reason we don't get in pursuit is we think we may actually have to fight
the battle when we get there.
Worry about that when you get there.
Just get there.
Just show up.
So many times we leave the benefits and we forfeit the benefits because we simply stop
showing up.
Well it's a long march from Gilgal to Gibeon.
So do you want it or not?
Well I got to get on from here.
Understand that God can turn every bad situation into a victory in many unusual ways.
God does not afford us to even begin to cover that vast example of God's faithfulness and
favor.
God's favor can give recognition and promotion even when you seem to be the least likely
one to receive it.
Verse 16-22 and Saul sent to Jesse saying, Let David I pray thee stand before me for
he hath found favor in my side.
Saul sent for David.
Samuel sent for David.
God sent for David.
Saul disobeyed him.
Backslidden king.
David has found favor in my side.
Later he tried to take his life but every time he needed him to play on that harp, David
was there to play on that harp.
Because every time he sat under the anointed music, the enemy was driven away from Saul's
mind.
Peace would come.
Stand.
I'm going to run through these others.
God's favor will open doors that seem impossible.
Esther chapter 5 verse 8 and 8 verse 5.
I have found favor in the side of the king.
If it pleased the king and if I have found favor in his side and the things seemed right
before the king and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised
by Haman which he wrote to destroy the Jews which are in all the king's province.
And we know the rest of that story.
God's favor can win battles you don't even know and don't even have to fight because
he fights for you.
Psalm 44 1 through 3.
We have heard with our ears, oh God our fathers have told us what work thou didst in their
day in the times of old.
How you did drive out the heathen with your hand.
How you did afflict the people and cast them out.
For they got not the land in possession by their own sword.
Neither did their own arms save them but your right hand and your arm and the light of your
countenance because hear this, thou hast had a favor upon them.
He's got his favor on you.
There's victory that you've not even attained to because you've stopped showing up.
Show up.
We get caught up in the details.
Well how?
It doesn't matter how.
Just get there.
Just be there.
Just be obedient.
Be faithful.
Let him bestow his benefits upon you.
Well I'm bound pastor.
Well so was Joseph, so was Paul, so was Silas, so was Peter and on and on and on it goes.
He never promised that there wouldn't be trouble.
Wouldn't promise there wouldn't be hardships.
He never promised that it would be easy, he just promised he would be faithful.
The benefits of the good life is that God is in the details and you don't have to figure
them out.
We just have to show up.
We just have to get from Gilgal to Gibeon.
We just have to encourage ourselves from the Lord and arise and go forward because the
promise is you shall recover it all.
I'm just stating what the book says.
But I know one thing if you never get in pursuit you're not going to get anything.
If we don't ever get into action, if we don't ever start the pursuit, if we never encourage
ourselves in the Lord and then inquire of him we'll never know what the benefit is.
If you don't go to HR, your human resource department with whatever it is you have as
far as a complaint to see what the handbook's got to say you won't know if you've got that
benefit or not.
Because most of us, are you ready I'm about to drop one on you, most of us don't read
the handbook to know what the benefits are.
Get on the Gerald all the time, son you got more benefits available.
You need to know exactly what is made available.
You're not working the system, you're not trying to cheat anyone but know the benefits
that are available.
How many need to exercise one of your benefits?
Here's one for you, come into me all you that labor and heavy laden, that's a benefit and
I'll give you rest.
Anybody need rest come on.
If any among you are sick let them call on the elders of the church, they'll anoint you
with oil and the prayer of faith.
That's a benefit, by his stripes you are healed, that's a benefit.
Anybody need anything from the Lord this morning?
If you do come on I want to pray for us before we go.
Anything at all.
Here's a benefit for you, if any man sin he has as an advocate with the Father Christ
Jesus the righteous.
And if we're faithful and just to confess our sins, he's faithful and just to cleanse
us of our sins.
Listen, and it didn't stop right there, the benefit is written in the handbook and he
will cleanse them of all unrighteousness.
That's the benefit.
Father I love you this morning, stretch your hands this way folks.