Untitled Sermon (3)

Psalm 41:1–11 NLT

1 Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor! The Lord rescues them when they are in trouble. 2 The Lord protects them and keeps them alive. He gives them prosperity in the land and rescues them from their enemies. 3 The Lord nurses them when they are sick and restores them to health. 4 “O Lord,” I prayed, “have mercy on me. Heal me, for I have sinned against you.” 5 But my enemies say nothing but evil about me. “How soon will he die and be forgotten?” they ask. 6 They visit me as if they were my friends, but all the while they gather gossip, and when they leave, they spread it everywhere. 7 All who hate me whisper about me, imagining the worst. 8 “He has some fatal disease,” they say. “He will never get out of that bed!” 9 Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely, the one who shared my food, has turned against me. 10 Lord, have mercy on me. Make me well again, so I can pay them back! 11 I know you are pleased with me, for you have not let my enemies triumph over me.

Psalm 41

II. Intro

I believe that the word FAVOR is one of the most misused words in our vocabulary… , and I do have to add this disclaimer, THIS IS NOT A PROSPERITY MESSAGE>

Webster says that Favor.. is an act of goodness or kindness. Beyond what is due or usual.…a small gift or souvenir.

…

Personally I liked what Mr. Webster said.. to me its plan and simple.. but for those who just have to have some big words or have to feel like your important…the Biblical Dictionary said… FAVOR is HAVING God’s unmerited & undeserving blessings surround you like a forcefield because You are a child of the MOST high GOD.

Before you go to sleep because you had such a hard week at work..

ask yourself ….do I have the favor of God?

We have heard renowned men and women of God preach and teach about favor… Bishop Jakes once said FAVOR AINT FAIR.

And we jumped on the bandwagon, and that is well and good but…for some of us, it leads us to believe we are SUPER SAINTS,….and that because I prayed and things begin to happen on my behalf, then I must have GOD’S FAVOR.

And if we have not matured in GOD… if we are not where we put on we are… in God …. that’s good as long as we don’t run into one of those fiery trials. You know the kind of trial… that tries to break our hearts and break our spirits, the ones we can’t get over & pull over quite so easily… you know the ones that might be public, and it brought embarrassment and shame along with it,

The ones that make us say… what in the world… is going on.. and then we begin to wonder DO I REALLY have GOD’S FAVOR. .. now mind you .. you were just shouting and dancing on sunday…and here it is Tuesday 12 noon.. and you have a whole nother day before the prayer meeting at 12.. before bible study at 7…

But for the rest of us, it leads us to do the inevitable… we look over into someone elses yard and into their life and had GOD has so richly blessed them and we say SURELY I can’t have favor because Sister Green Bean and Bro. Turnip Green have favor and look at what they have and what they do and I am not there, ..

so I must not have Favor, we do all that not knowing the struggle Sis. GB and Bro. TG are enduring. Mo. Stevenson says so often, HEAP see but FEW know, and that means a lot of people see me but only a few really know my story…

Brother Mitchell.. has a song.. you don’t know my story.. you don’t know what it took for me to get here…and the big one… you cant feel my pain…

All you see is the stuff.. the end result… the icing on the cake… but you don’t know what it took to make me…

So because all we see is the end result… and we look .. lust.. envy and miss God..

God is SOVERIGN, which means that he can do what he wants, when he wants, to who he wants, and how he wants. We can’t doctrinize him, we cant put him in a box, and we cant bring him down to our level because HE IS GOD!

IN the 41St DIVISION OF PSALMS the writer David was in conversation or prayer with GOD his father. we all know the story of David and we may have mixed emotions about him, but no matter what you think about David…., GOD said he is a man after my own HEART.

Ask your neighbor .. so what is God saying about you!

III. TEXT

DAVID like many of us, was special to GOD. But that didn’t make him exempt from many struggles and challenges. As a matter of fact when David sinned he sinned big time. Many bible scholars believe that he wrote this 41st Psalm after the LORD exposed him for having Uriah killed and taking his wife Bethsheba, and as a result of the sin, there were consequences.

Tell somebody, EVERYTHING HAS A CONSEQUENCE….

I am in no means teaching sin, but rather trying to show you how David was quick to repent and not only that he didn’t become a repeat offender.

READ VERSE 4 …SO we have David, this man after God’s heart, saying LORD have mercy because I have messed up. Many of us are saying, well I haven’t taken another mans wife, but some of us are sitting right in the house of GOD and doing things we know are not pleasing in his sight and we need to repent b/c like David there is a consequence.

Some of us have not committed anything but we have omitted some things. God has told us to do something and have not whole heartedly done them. We have become slothful in God’s business of even soul-winning, and there is consequence….

But DAVID, is not like some of us… he didn’t blame anybody for his situation, .. he may been alittle bother by it.. but he knew… he brought it on himself, an so he just said Lord forgive me.

VERSE 5 The people he knew was against him starting talking bad about him, saying LOOK I know he is sick, but when is he going to die, and not only die, but let his name die out with him…TELL SOMEBODY DON”T GET SHOCKED …THAT”S YOUR ENEMY……THATS WHAT THEY DO!!

VERSE 6 There used to be a song out back in the day, that said, they smile in your face, but all the time they want to take your place..the BACKSTABBER. ...

Some of your enemies will even have the audacity to show up at your house and pretend like they care, but really all they want to do is see 1st hand what shape you are in, and then DAVID said I know when you leave you are going to talk about me.

PLEASE let the NOSY folk be NOSY. BUT TELL SOMEBODY DON”T GET SHOCKED THAT”S YOUR ENEMY….

VERSE 7 & 8 It is amazing how your enemies can team up against you, …as the saying goes.. the enemy of my enemy is my friend..

Most of us have had those days when we have said,’ What else can go wrong?’ Be careful saying that because your enemy hears you and is saying …OH okay they really wants me to show out!’

AT YOUR LOWEST POINT folk will count you out.

VERSE 9 TELL SOMEBODY STILL DON”T GET SHOCKED, I know, I know you are saying after all that I did for them… no no you don’t understand… I was the one who was there for them…im the one who did…

BUT PETER said it best in ..Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial that is to try you and though some strange thing has happened, but …verse 13 says REJOICE.

Which means GET YOURSELF together…okay I know you didn’t expect it, but REJOICE,

I know you didn’t think your son or your daughter would bring tears to your eyes, but Rejoice,

I know your mother and father are supposed to protect you, but they brought you hurt and shame,

I know that was your girl.. your homie….BUT PETER said REJOICE.

VERSE 10 BUT in the midst of all DAVID went through he had enough since to stop focusing on the folk and wallowing in the situation, and not to become bitter,

but guess what he did… PRAY… HE prayed to GOD his father and said God have mercy, raise me up, so I can defend….. not my name…but your name.

The minute you came to the alter .. crying and saying yes lord.. it was no longer about you..

VERSE 11 And for all of those who were unsure about the FAVOR of GOD listen to what DAVID said…

HE Said God by this I KNOW that thou favourest me, I am not talking about what I heard, but by this I KNOW thou favourest me b/c of everything I have been through in my life I realize…. I never could have made it without you.

YES my enemies my persecute me, YES some may accuse me falsely, YES I might be struggling right now, YES my finances are in recession, YES my children are acting crazy, YES the people on my job are plotting my downfall, YES things look rough right now, and YES people have counted me out,

YES the enemy of discouragement has set up residence in my house, I feel like I take 2 steps forward and 3 steps back and it SEEMS LIKE YOUR ARE NOT HERE>>>

BUT it is just an ILLUSSION>>>

BUT GOD I KNOW I HAVE YOUR FAVOR b/c even in the midst of all that……

, I didn’t faint, I didn’t fall out, I didn’t backslide or go back on the commitment that I made to you, I didn’t loose my mind, that padded cell that the enemy had intended for me is still vacant, because my enemy did not triumph over me.

God I thank you.. for your Favor.. for your love..

IF the LORD”S MERCIES didn’t take care of me I would have been gone a long time ago. The bible says in LAMENTATION 3:23 It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, SO I THANK GOD FOR BEING THERE< THANK YOU FOR BEING THERE OH GOD!!!

When we mature in GOD, we realize that stuff doesn’t equal favor there are people is mansions that are strung out on drugs, rich people loosing their minds.

But it is because of your FaVOR that I am in this place at this time to receive this WORD.

The bible says in But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.

God KNOWS we need certain things to make it on the earth, he even says in IF ye abide in me… and my words abide in you, you can ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you.

‘IF’ you stay connected to me you can ask whatever you will and it shall be done unto you, and you want have to struggle and work 3 jobs and miss church to keep it.

God has blessed us and given us his favor….. the latter part says NOT knowing that the GOODNESS of God leadeth thee to repentance. The purpose of God’s goodness and kindness is to give an opportunity for repentance.

EVERYBODY STAND…..

and tonight as we stand if there is someone who has been feeling like God has left you.. I you are feeling your all alone… I wan to pray for you.. because your not alone… the fact that your still here lets should let you know that God is favoring you..

But jus tuna to pray for you.. I believe God will come in and encourage you. Lift you .. and let you know.. I’m right here..