Well, we were at the Lord's table this morning, and we sang this hymn. I'm going to cut my attention. And here's what it says. Rise my soul, arise, behold, this Jesus.
It's not the first hymn we sang. The second hymn we sang. And then it says these words, in that circle of God's favor, circle of the Father's love, all is rest and rest forever, all is perfectness above. And below this morning, if you're a believer this morning, you're in the circle of God's favor.
Amen? It's the favor of God to you. We heard it this morning, Clyde, and the love of God, and his favor toward sinners. We were lost and undone, and yet God sent his son to save us and pay the Christ for our sin.
Thank God for the favor of God, amen? And he's drawn us into that circle of his favor. The gazers sing of him. It goes like this, greatly blessed, highly favored, and perfect, but forgiven, child of God.
Amen? I looked up the word favored. It's a Hebrew word, hen, which is the cognate of the verb Hanan, and it means to show mercy, to show favor, or to be gracious. And the most usage of it is this, meaning is to find favor in someone's eyes.
My friend, I've just shown you the slides. I've just shown you the favor that God has shown us in the eyes of the Jewish people, and he's opened in the doors of favor. Amen? You might not think of that much, but if you take your Bible and get a concordance and take your favor and go down in the word favor, here's what you'll get.
Turn to Daniel chapter 1 and verse 9, please. Daniel chapter 1 verse 9. Remember Daniel? He's taken from Jerusalem, brought in the exile, and Babylon, and so forth, and he won't eat the king's mate, be purposed in his heart.
You can be able to do that. And down he high, you read in Daniel 1 verse 9, now God brought Daniel into what? Into favor with the prince of the eunuchs. You see, God opened the door in this community for Daniel to minister.
Wonderful. Now let's go over to Acts chapter 7 and verse 10. Thank you brother. He's always looking after me as Gabriel.
I'm glad you're an angel, Gabriel, thank you. Acts 7 is where Stephen gives a wonderful survey of the Jewish people. He brings you right back and brings you right forward, and he brings them right to the Messiah, how he was crucified and so forth, all the way through. But in Acts chapter 7, in that survey, in verse 10, he does this, and delivered him out of all his afflictions, this is Joseph, and gave him favor and wisdom in the side of Pharaoh King of Egypt, and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.
And high effect of was Joseph in Egypt. You know why? Because God opened the door of favor. And your ministry needs that favor, brother Ray.
Whoever is ministering for the Lord, down at the backstone, down on the street, you need to have favor among the people. Pray for that. The God would open the door of favor to the people. Now I have the clothes, it's 12 o'clock, it's 10 p.
Remember Joseph was falsely accused in Potiphar's house. Remember that? He had to lose your garment and lose your character. He left his garment in her hands and got out of there.
I always say, he got his mutton dummies on, and he got out there as quickly as he could, or his niggies on, and he got out there as quickly as he could. And he didn't know he knew he didn't do anything wrong. Yet he suffered for righteousness sake, but God was with Joseph, and God showed him favor to the present people. Amen.
You see what God was doing? And then we have, let me quickly mention, these Moses find favor. Listen, the children of Israel and the Egypt, where there are 400 years, why did they come out of Egypt? Amity, and no, no, they come out with silver and gold with itself from the Egyptian.
Why? Because God showed them favor. It's all over your Bible. Remember, Esther, for such a time as this, remember Haman wanted to kill all the Jewish people?
That's the book of Esther Purim, Castilats, for what day it was to be, Purim means a lot. And Esther, we could say of Esther, she was a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God. She put her life on the line, if I die, I die. It would be nice to have such a commitment like God wasn't it?
Anyhow, it says that Esther, the queen answered and said, if I have found favor, she would send us to her husband, who was the king. If I have found favor, and I said, oh, king, and if I please the king, let me be given me at my petition, at my request, and the king granted her request. God showed favor to Esther. Remember, Nehemiah?
Same thing. And I said unto the king, remember, he wanted to go back to Jerusalem. Remember, the city was in ruin and it touched his heart, and he prayed, and he asked the king, and the king, remember the king, he didn't give him stuff to build the city. Why?
Because God showed him favor. And I love this one. Ruth, why? She said the boy was, why have I found grace or favor in your eyes that you see technology that may be a stranger?
Father, why have I found grace in your eyes that you see technology that may be a stranger? That's where you were. You were a stranger. Stranger from God.
But thank God, he showed his favor to you. Remember Mary? Look, chapter 1. Remember what Gabriel said here?
Mary, you're highly flavored. From you will come in Messiah. The early church, Acts chapter 2, verse 47. And if you look at the church it says in verse 47, and they continue daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, and did eat their meat and gladness and sing a list of hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people and the Lord added the church daily.
My friend, I don't care what it is, whatever ministry you're in, what you need is the favor of God, the open the door. Amen? And I'll conclude with that. There's a lot more we can say.
But remember the blessing of God, pray it on me. Do you know what that blessing means? Laura, do you know what that blessing means, Laura? Here's what it means.
Can I get down here? I can't get down. I'm stiff as a board. Thank you.
You're not getting my iPod anyway. You're not getting... When they were praying out, the idea and the Jewish concept in the mind is this. It's of a Father taking this child and moving into its face.
And it's the graciousness of God who gave him the child. And he's giving sight to the Lord. What a wonderful blessing. The Lord lift up his face on today and be gracious on today and give you peace.
It's like a mother lifting up her child as well. Wonderful, isn't it? You're in the circle. You're the child in the favor of God.
May he open doors of favor for your ministry. Shall we pray? Father, thank you for our time and Lord, it's brief, but we thank you for the Word of God. Thank you for bringing us together.
How does it be not just take it and how does it put it into shoe leather. How does it reach out to people and communities, to our neighbors or friends. How does it come alongside them? Lord, I pray open the door of favor.
They'll ask us questions. They'll see the love of God in us by our actions. So Lord, we pray for these things today. There are many people here hurting.
We pray for them. We pray Lord that someone will come alongside of them and put a norm around them and pray with them or take them for a meal together or take them for a coffee or just sit down in a park somewhere and talk. Lord, they maybe want to unload things and burdens that they're carrying. Father, I pray for this.
Lord, we've done that with the Jewish people too. Many of them are hurting as well. So Father, I pray, use this little thought this morning of favor and bless it to the hearts of your people today. In Jesus name.
Amen. Amen. Sing it.