Favored on Monday // Judah Smith

all right go with me to Luke chapter two what I'd like to do is pick up a little bit of the the Christmas story in fact it was during the Christmas season this year that I was struck with a couple of verses I've taken some time now since the Christmas season to kind of investigate further and I just I just got curious to be honest about what these verses mean and their implications and and why they are the way they are and so it's in Luke chapter two and we're going to read three verses and I'd like to title this message right now we're here in LA but there are many people watching in Seattle so wherever you are watching this I want to title this message favored or favored for Monday favor for Monday and I'm gonna explain and the the agenda tonight is I'd like to prove to you and show you tonight or today wherever you are watching that that you're actually God's presence and favor strength energy and grace is on you in the most ordinary moments of life God is with you in the most ordinary moments of life and I'm really excited now right now that might be like cool Judah I kind of already believe that okay you don't believe it enough so just relax okay someone I was walking into church say they said you look like a burglar okay here we go Luke chapter 2 that's how you encourage your pastor appreciate it alright I'm in grief can you not tell I'm grieving jerk Luke chapter two kidding kidding Luke chapter 2 verse 40 says and the child this child being Jesus and the child grew and became strong filled with wisdom and the favor of God was upon him the child Jesus grew and became strong filled with wisdom and the favor of God was upon him now let's leapfrog to verse 51 Luke chapter 2 and verse 51 says and he went down from them and came to Nazareth that speaking of Jesus at 12 now the last verse was Jesus basically 0 twelve we get a quick little glimpse of a few verses of Jesus at 12 years old and these next two verses will give us a synopsis of Jesus twelve to thirty and says and he went down front with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them and his mother treasured all Mary treasured all these things in her heart and verse 52 the most insightful verse we have almost the totality of all the information we have about Jesus from 12 to 30 is in this verse it says in Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man and Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man again I want to talk to you from the subject favor on Monday favor on Monday favor on an ordinary average day favor on a mundane Monday God is with you and I I hope that that we leave this gathering or leave the gatherings there in Seattle believing that we are God's favorite thank you for getting so excited tell you what all right let's pray Oh God Jesus thank you for the moments we share it's it's kind of overwhelming to consider all the different stages and phases and places everybody in this room and other rooms and even online are facing right now but you know every single one you know every single detail so I'm asking in a very real and tangible way that you would show your goodness and your grace Lord you would show your favor in our lives in Jesus name and everybody said have you um have you ever wished a moment away your wished a moment away you ever wished that time would go faster if you're like me school was not my forte talking well what I wanted to do in school which didn't lead to a lot of great grades I graduated high school I want to say with a26 it might have been a 2/3 and I might be rounding up but the point is I graduated I think that is the point and so school was hard for me I remember I mean you know it's the proverbial classic you get it whatever I remember staring at the clock thinking how slow the time would go from 8:30 to 255 p.m. school days just went on and on and on without end couldn't wait to graduate I did I graduated high school went to Bible College for a couple of years then went into preaching and teaching the Bible did that long enough until finally a Bible College gave me a degree I recommend that route school I just didn't I didn't enjoy but I remember graduating thinking oh I'm done with you know wishing the hours to pass and then my wife Chelsea and I have 19 years we had children and if you've had small children you know what I'm talking about when you have small babies you love them it's amazing don't get me wrong I'm obsessed with my kids they're no longer babies they're 9 12 and 14 but when they were younger the nights were a very special time and you could not wait for these little chubby babies right the whole goal of the eat afternoon evening and night was to get them to sleep and once they were asleep I mean I remember looking at Chelsea you think are they asleep is he asleep is it ok come on let's get out 24 put in the DVD let's watch that's a television show from a day gone by for those that don't know okay 24 was everything I mean we would watch another one right and we just binge watch 24 it was amazing it was a different day 40 years ago but it's amazing you get older and you look back and you realize I can't believe I wished those days away those chubby little babies those times and boy those long nights where you would play like you were asleep right I'd pretend like I was asleep Chelsea be like Judah Judah Judah its Zion and I just write because the last thing I want to do is get up and help my child just wishing moments away those nights babies crying there's like God just get me through this I'll do anything for you if you just get me through this one night wishing days away remember being engaged weeks before being married and for those that don't know I grew up in a very Christian home my dad was a pastor and often times people asked bear with me if you've heard me tell this joke but it's real people like wow you Christians get married young yeah there's this thing we believe you got to like not have sex until you get married so we get married young I think you get it okay so I remember the weeks before you know getting married and I trust me I've wanted to have sex with Chelsea before we got married but my mom would kill me and I'm not actually exaggerating at all and I remember just wishing those days away please God please lord have you ever wished a moment away have you ever talking about painful moments we've all wished some painful moments away I'm talking about average moments ordinary mundane normal moments talking math class I'm talking traffic I'm talking running errands I'm talking grocery store lists have you ever wished moments away I'm talking about at your cubicle at work and it's not exactly your dream job have you ever wished moments away have you ever had to go somewhere you don't want to go to meet people you don't want to meet to talk about stuff you don't want to talk about but it's the right thing to do or it's the work thing to do and so have you ever wished moments away have you ever wished Monday away uh I wish it was Friday oh I can't wait six weeks from now I'm going on vacation have you ever wished weeks away you ever wished months away you ever was days away minutes away moments away well I think I think we all have I think I can relate with that you wish these mundane ordinary normal moments are just like ah right I mean IIIi love my kids but sometimes a family dinner my knees start shaking a little bit and I'm like I cannot wait there's there's a big game on tonight Lakers are playing LeBron see you know I got me come on let's let's say you know we do you know highs and lows and and and sometimes you can wish even family dinner away because you want to watch a a game you like to do that's never happened to me okay I'm projecting it happens to me because we want the fun moments we want the big moments we want the monumental moments we want the significant moments we want the sexy moments we want the electric moments we want we want those moments and so a lot of us we we live our life kind of in a rhythm where it's mundane moments we just try to get bass get through get past get through yes they got it too weekend and we live our life in a routine where we we overlook under play don't value disregard wish away mundane ordinary moments and that's why I'm using the term Monday favor on Monday because Monday is is for some of you that's your day off you're like I love my Monday but but Monday represents for a lot of people in culture you know the day where it's like I still got a whole week in front of me of monotony until I get to the fun moments the sexy moments the memorable moments and that's what I what I want now now now now the only reason I'm talking like this it's because I know what it is to live like this listen you understand now Charles chelsey 19 years if I've learned anything Chelsea actually looks for the rhythmic monotonous ritualistic okay I'm taking this too far she likes routine that's all I'm trying to say my wife likes routine she actually Monday for her is refreshing she's like a whole nother week of consistency and I feel imprisoned in my soul and we're doing this thing now and it's good and I respect it at the end of my message you'll see why I really think it's important but we're planning our week at the beginning of every week we're like okay what is our week and it look like it is such a laborious task for me I'm confessing publicly to the whole church I hate it but I love it and I love to hate it okay she's like okay now what what's Monday gonna look like I'm like whatever whatever you want it to look like now Tuesday I'm getting my nails that I need to know about your nails now what are you are you gonna pick up the kids or I'm gonna pick up the kids I don't know let's just feel it out in the moment yeah I can't wait for the next party if I had it my way we'd have a party some sort of party now I don't always like big parties I like the small parties a party can just be like Chelsea and I and another couple we're just hanging out talking having a meal laughing making jokes like I just I want to I want to go out I want to do something I want to have a I want something to look forward to what a fun big significant moment and and Chelsea wants to stay in let's stay in tonight what do you mean by that do you mean like stay within the city limits of Seattle or Los Angeles no I mean stay in our home I can't breathe it's like I'm wearing a full turtleneck I can't breathe you wanna yeah let's just be together as a family what should we watch let's not watch anything let's just be together as a family and maybe I'm not the only one we live in such a hyperspeed living life at the speed of light oftentimes our our approach and habits perpetuate what I'm talking about it perpetuates it heightens it intensifies I need another party I I need another significant monumental I where's my trophy where's my ribbon where's the music let's dance let's live a musical and so when someone says excuse me please go to your desk and get your work done like I can't it's not me I need to dance I need to sing I can't really enjoy my Monday I can't enjoy the average ordinary everyday parts of life that's why the verses we just read are nothing short of astounding to me I have never seen this before until this past Christmas season when I was studying this in preparation for our annual Christmas Eve service in Seattle and I was preparing you know a message and if you're a pastor and you got to preach every year on the same Christmas story you kind of want to try to find something new but you never really do so I'm just putting a message together and I get struck with this word favor and the favor of God was upon him Luke 2:40 says and then most the time I'll notice in scripture to me redundancy kind of sticks out to me anytime the Bible repeats itself I seem to kind of gravitate to that because I know repetition is for emphasis and emphasis is to underscore something to bring it to your attention because apparently it's imperative for the reader and so so I remember reading this crisp past Christmas season and the and the favor of God was upon him and then I kept reading Jesus in the 10 twelve years old and then you go down a little bit further and verse 51 says he went to back down to Nazareth he submitted himself to his mom and his stepdad and then it says he grew in wisdom stature and in favor with God and man and there it was again favor favor now why was this significant well here's why did you know that Jesus life and ministry now you you probably do know this so bear with me but did you know that I feel like I have like a hair in my nose you ever had that I just feel like maybe it's just an angel but touching your nose bro but you never know but Jesus is the most significant person who's ever lived actually most people would agree whether you believe he's God or not he has separated time as we know it he's beyond compelling did you know that we we only have basically a total of three verses to summarize for us approximately 2025 years you could argue even more of his entire life on earth so most of the scripture is Jesus from 30 to approximately 33 we get a glimpse at Christmas time thank you very much it was anyone a part of a live nativity this year kidding okay but so we get a glimpse at Christmas time then we get a glimpse in Luke 2 of the 12 year old Jesus but other than Jesus born probably 2 years old when the wise men come and then 12 years old from 0 to 30 we have such limited information let me say it like this basically we have about 3 verses that cover almost three decades of his life did you know that three verses some scholars argue basically we have one verse Luke 2:52 Luke 2:52 is basically summarizes for us nearly three decades of Jesus life I mean if you're a parent here or you're watching online or you're in Seattle today wouldn't it be nice to see teenage Jesus who that would have been helpful I would be like hey kids gather around and watch sixteen-year-old Jesus right watch him drive I don't know watch him do his chores now this is the passage about how he did his homework every night before he did anything else when he got home right like would be nice to have teenage Jesus we don't get teenage Jesus all we get is Jesus increase in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man wait wait wait what that's the verse we get from 12 to 30 that's the verse that's what we get so we get and then the other other years were summarized by a very similar scripture in Luke 2:40 which says end the favor of God he grew in the favor of God was upon him they're very similar verses and that's like that kind of summarizes like like like two to twelve so two to twelve twelve to thirty are basically summarized in a very similar verse in in in and I just want to ask why why these are these are the unseen years of Jesus these are and so you start looking into it and writers and scholars they say clearly the scripture wants us to know that Jesus from zero to thirty lived a very normal traditional life of a Jewish boy submitting to his Jewish mother and father now we know he grew up in Nazareth Nazareth doesn't have a lot of trees we know that Joseph did work with wood and carpentry but we also upon further investigation have discovered that Joseph also worked with stone and so we know that Jesus because in that day traditionally speaking the boys would work with the father in whatever craft or whatever job he had given himself to and so we know from 0 to 30 if you will or when Jesus came of age he would have worked as a carpenter and he would have worked as a stones man as a man was stone and wood wood and and in stone and so what we do know from Luke chapter 2 verse 52 is that Jesus he grew in stature and that word stature doesn't just mean age it also means his body developed he was a strong man now we know Jesus was a hundred percent healthy as the god man but what maybe you've never considered is had you looked on the hands of Jesus at thirty they would have been calloused because he worked hard he worked with stone he worked with wood and for thirty years he did all the ordinary normal things of a young man and they were not recorded wait what they were not recorded he grew up in a place called Nazareth which had been conquered by Rome and it was of no significance Nazareth was not a significant town and Jesus was not a significant person in terms of renown or reputation from zero to thirty and here's my point and yet do you know what the Bible says about the insignificant years of Jesus the quotes I love when people do this I'm gonna be doing this throughout my sermon tonight the insignificant this means they weren't insignificant by the way but the insignificant unseen years of Jesus do you know what the Bible tells us and it apparently it's all we need to know he had favor in those years wait what he had favor in what years of the ones you don't hear about no no he couldn't have he couldn't had too much favor why cuz that we don't hear about him what do you mean well I mean favor when somebody's got favor you're gonna hear about it what do you mean well like I'm just saying if you got the favor of God we gonna see it hear about it like that's what favor does what do you mean I'm just saying you can tell when somebody's favored like what they're wearing what they're driving what kind of house they live in how many followers they got now I know he's favored why he's got the blue checkmark that's the favor of God and that and and and this angel keeps touching my nose and and that's how crazy we've got that's so crazy with God we don't we don't we don't call people favored who don't have the things by which we define favor were you wait I'm sorry what do you say I just I wake up happy every day that's nice do you have a job I'm in between jobs right now Hulu you better pray for some favor I tell you hey right now I'm sorry what's that I got I got so much peace yeah but I but I heard like I heard you you broke up with you know him or her yeah yeah but I got so much peace well well I'll tell you right now you better you better ask God for a favor so you can get married because you're not favored until you're married you're not favored until you're not favored Intel tell somebody I'm gonna get I'm gonna be blessed and then I'll know I'm favored and yet the Bible says Jesus was favored between Christmas and Easter now we know he was favored on Christmas and we know he was favored on Easter right and so that's what we live for I want Christmas every day which wouldn't be Christmas well if I can't have Christmas I want Easter I want birth or resurrection one of the two what my whole life filled with magnanimous moments from God where I am clearly favored and so we don't mean to but we have cheap conversations over coffee as Christians while we tell each other I'm gonna believe that you'll be favored this year and what we mean is I believe you're gonna get that car I believe you're gonna get that house I believe you're gonna get that stuff I believe you're gonna get him you'll get her because that's how we'll know you're favored now I'm gonna tell you right now I will be the first person to go to that coffee shop with you and pray for marriage and you want to get married let's pray you get married I'm marrying the right person but let's pray you get married you want a truck I'll pray for your truck what do you want for it for it is you know like I got no problem with that I got no problem with that but since when is that how we defined favor the Bible says Jesus was favored and if you're like me I'm like wow and the Bible is like don't worry about that we are led to believe he was favored to do the dishes he was favored to build a desk with his dad he was favored to make his bed he was favored to go to school he was favored to walk home walk to school uphill walk home uphill he was favored he had a dad like me he was favored for Monday's days that were so ordinary there's no need to put them in the book whoa so he was favored between Christmas and Easter he was favored just for a bear with me now a boring day Oh first of all what's happening the Bible is telling us we have to redefine what it means to be favored by God or blessed by God maybe maybe being favored or blessed by God is not just the big moments maybe it's more than that maybe it's more than that there are people hearing up under the sound of my voice you believe you are not blessed by God or favored by God because you are only counting the big stuff you're counting the big stuff it's the big stuff but I'll be blessed if I get Christmas I'll be blessed if I get Easter but everything in between now that's just a try God clearly hasn't blessed me how do you know God isn't with me how do you know because I'm still in the same job and I hate it and we can't see past the temporary things by which we define the favor of God I would like to suggest that you are just as favored for Monday you were just as favored for the little things as you are the big things the big things now when in Luke chapter 2 verse 40 when when it says that that he was then the favor of God was with him the favor of God this is about this is about basically 11220 to 12 years old 0 to 12 years old the Bible says and the favor of God was upon him and then it's reiterated again that that favor was growing on his life from 12 to 30 favor let me define favor favor favor is a lot of things and we'll talk more about that in a moment but the essence of favor when it says and the favor of God was with him it means presence it means the Father was with the son every step of the way it means the father father God and Jesus the son who are one but distinguished indistinguishable indivisible but yet distinguishable that they were together they were together so let me just say this when I say that you're favored by God more than anything what I'm telling you is God is with you every step the way God is with you every step of the way and God's presence in your life is not for what you think it is God's presence in your life is to do you favors God's presence in your life is proof that you're his favorite the God has favored you God has favorited you God likes you God has chosen you God is with you and he'll never leave you nor forsake you your your your your favored your favored your favorite now when you see Jesus in the Bible whether it's the reference of some 18 years 20 years 25 years of his hidden years or his thirty foot three and a half year ministry every time you see Jesus I want you to see yourself and here's what I mean for the Bible says he who knew no sin became sin so that you and I might become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus by definition the Bible teaches that we traded places we traded places he became sin on the cross for anyone and everyone who would believe and receive he has paid the ultimate price and sacrifice for every heir wrong in sin you've ever committed and in one moment of receptivity and faith you can be forgiven forever he became your heir you're wrong in your sin so that you could become his righteousness his rightness with God forever and that's why first John 4:17 says as he is so are we in this world which is to say my life is hidden in Christ we should just say Galatians 2:20 it's no longer I who live but Christ in me sufficient to say that the favour that was upon the hidden years of Jesus is upon you now if you only believe so that same presence of God that is to do you favors that was on Jesus when he was 16 17 20 24 is on you is with you as he is so are we in this world I'm hidden in Christ theologically bear with me this doesn't make sense talk to somebody in the lobby the next step bar they'll explain all your cosmic questions and you go there whatever location you're in Seattle he go right into the lobby right now we have theologians standing by but by by definition I'm I'm hidden in Christ and so when the father sees me he sees the perfection of his son and so I am no longer judged for the judgment has been poured out once and for all upon Jesus he became sin and so now when the father sees me by the way the father is so just and he is so perfect he must judge sin he must judge sin there is right there is wrong and where there is wrong there must be a recompense there must be a reconciliation there must be a payment of the bill and he has to because he's just he is pure he is holy and so he has to and so Jesus did for us what we could not do for his self and he paid the bill he paid the penalty and so now our life is hidden in Christ that when the father sees me he sees the son therefore I am perpetually pleasing I am in right standing before God I am accepted I am loved and so when I see Jesus being favored I can absolutely stand on solid ground and assume that I - mmm favored that's why Acts chapter 2 says the early church the very first church the church and witches that were a part of many many years ago says and the favor they had favor with all the people since the beginning of the church there's been favor on her we have the favor of God which is to say we have God's presence walking with us every step of the way to do us favors you are fit you are God's favorite what one of one of the things I'm gonna do my best to act by the grace of God for the next 23 years is to demonstrate and show you and prove to you in God's story that you are his favorite 20:19 would be different if you could digest and accept that you are actually biblically God's favorite yours favor only way I can explain that phenomenon because you're like if I'm his favorite how can she be his favorite how can he she he be his favorite I'll tell you about my three kids I and Elliot and great sighted family dinner tonight at family dinner the subject came up again and my daughter's always convinced I am your favorite and I always tell her you are my favorite little girl but the truth is Chelsea said it tonight at family dinner she said the truth is my favorite is whichever one I'm with it's like my heart just I remember I remember Chelsea at tennis we had one baby sign and when we had Zion it was like we can't have another one because there's no way we can love another one the way we love this one parents you know what I'm talking about you get one babe and you're like I can't I can't no this is it's gonna be scandalous because I love this one and I could never want another one nothing I can't I don't have space but then you have another one in your heart goes whoop you have another one your heart goes whoop you have four and God says shame on you but I'm kidding come on man relax relax I just teasing I just tease him but your heart listen God's heart has room for all of his favorites all of his favorites all of his favorites what does it mean to be God's favorite it means you've been chosen you've been picked out uuuugh things are gonna work out for you God God God God God likes you um God can't stop thinking about you God's crazy about you God hand-picked you God chose you it's gonna work it out if things are gonna work out for you things are just gonna work out for you think things just gonna work out for people like man these things always where I know things always work out for me why I'm God's favorite I just it's crazy but things just work out like I go through hard times you see not go through some hard times we at some moments but I'm things just work out for me and then and then for me see God always opens impossible doors I'm chosen I'm picked out I'm called out God's crazy about me and and things work out and and God opens impossible doors for me why I'm just I'm his I'm his favorite I'm his favorite he said you that's some pretty crazy talk and I'll admit this I was raised by an extraordinary father I had the best youth pastor in the world and my dad told me every day people love you and want to hear what you have to say it's not lost on me that most people in this room or any room watching that is not your story but one of my passions in life for the rest of the time that somebody lets me have a microphone to tell anybody about Jesus is to convince you that God loves you people love you you have favor with God and if you have favor with God he's gonna sure you have favor with men I'm believing in 2019 for this community and for this church it is going to be a year a favor I didn't say a year where you get that car or a year where you get that house I'll pray for that I hope it is I hope it is I hope it is but that's cheap favor that's entry-level favor I'm talking about a year where you have deep-rooted joy and peace and a sense of God's nearness and presence and let all these other things be added but I want favor when nobody can see me I want favor in the unseen places I want favor in the quiet places I want favor in the ordinary places I don't just want favor on Christmas and Easter I need favor on Monday somewhere in March you know what I'm talking about I can serve Jesus on a dance floor I need Jesus in the basement of life I need to know that I'm favored I I believe so much in favor that when bad things happen in my life I got enemies scared cuz I'm so favored I know I sound like I'm a cliche preacher but I'm really being dead serious we got we got four bullet holes in our car in Seattle true story we weren't in the car relax everybody relax skate relax by the grace of God but a friend of mine borrowed our car and at Christmas Christmas New Year's Eve and there was a drive-by and it shot up the car now trust me I'm never I'm never preparing the car because you drive around like it's bullet holes it's all good this gospel thing is no joke that's how I feel that's not funny I'm sorry but the point is you know first thing that came to mind when I saw those buttholes I was like who the devil is scared isn't he I tell you what we're on to something I'm so favored he's sending bullets at my car I wasn't in it so it's all good if I was I'd be like Jessie Indy crazy that in 2019 even the bad things that happen to you you could be like that's cuz I'm favored that's cuz that man I tell you what that's cuz I'm favored right there it's okay things always work out for me things always work out for me why God's with me every step of the way he's gonna see me through well you but you just been like it's been like three years though well what do you mean you've been you've been having a rough time for three years yeah fast forward it's been seven now I'm one of your friends who will tell you the truth you keep saying you're favored um where in fact are you favored because it's been seven years seven what insignificant years unseen years monotonous years ordinary years mundane years you know years you wish would go faster really I wonder who could relate with that God wait what yet God God can you believe that God can relate with how long you've been waiting for your miracle how long gentleman God can do anything God could have showed up in like the BAM hey you need a hero I'm here let's go boom everybody saved case closed everybody let's roll and steady was born in a little town called Bethlehem Egypt for a couple years Nazareth for thirty I end with this I'm done I'm done and somebody can come play on the piano and somebody can complain the piano in Seattle and I'm done but um you ever seen this there's this there's Jesus Jesus calls these two guys Philip and Nathanael they're they're gonna be a part of the twelve this is an in John chapter one I believe and it says that that Jesus says Philip followed me then Philips like kukuku I'm gonna get my buddy Nathanael Jesus like who I like him too so Philip runs over to the thanyou and he says something now Nathaniel grew up in a city called Kaena Kaena he says Nathaniel Nathaniel we found the Messiah in the fan so what he's waiting like everybody he said what he said he's he's from Nazareth and Nathanael goes come on man you say Nazareth can anything good come out of Nazareth now hold on for a second do you know how far Cana is from Nazareth eight miles hold on for a second Nathaniel I want to stop my Fanny on the street say huh nope nothing you've never heard of Jesus but then you'd be like who Jesus of Nazareth I don't know nobody from Nazareth but he's been on earth for thirty years Jesus reputation hasn't traveled eight miles in 30 years nobody's heard of Jesus nobody even knows about him eight miles away you ever felt like that oh I'm favored oh I'm favored I'm so favored nobody knows my name or what I do or who I am just around the corner oh I'm so favored nobody cares about me nobody's noticed me nobody recognized nobody says who made you really you're great at this you're really gifted you're really oh I'm favored oh I'm telling you Church home God can do in three years by his power and his favor what you couldn't do on your own strength for 30 years don't be fooled the timing of God is perfect and you are just as favored when nobody knows who you are then when the whole world says Jesus Christ of Nazareth the thing is like come on man I'll meet him I'll meet him but I know I mean he was a big deal I would have heard I'm the neighboring town what is God telling us about himself he's telling us something about how he works so can I just say in 2019 because you're favored slow down because you're favored give up striving as a normal daily habit give up working it out on your own strength give up being the captain of your own ship give up trying to build your own life and your own brand and your own a slow down no striving in 2019 why I'm favor you don't look favorite you you don't understand favor but I appreciate that you'll see in time you'll see you'll see you'll see ten years twenty years thirty years and out of nowhere who may I God you really I am with this I thought I already say that you you you know what I think I've done as a leader in a community I think I share stories of people's lives that is so extraordinary that it discourages people in the church ladies and gentlemen we just had a couple they won the lottery and now they got 125 million dollars and everybody's like encouraged you know I mean you ever heard somebody share story in church you're like why won't that happen for me you know like Wiz the last time in church I was like Lacey um this is a couple of these the Joneses and and I just like to announce mr. Jones has been praying God to help him and he's done the dishes every night this week but do you know that God's favor can be on you just as strong when you start doing the dishes for your spouse then when you win the lottery I just don't know if we believe that that's all I just don't know if we believe that what if in 2019 we relinquished our temporary petty definitions of blessing and favor and we just started to believe that in the middle of a month middle of March on a Monday I'm God's favorite things gonna work out God's with me all things work together for good I'm not striving somebody you ever you ever have one of those people they don't mean to but they try to get you to strive they try to get you to strive now what I can't believe what you I wish you would do more this because if you did you could you could you you you you would kill it you would crush it you should probably wait you don't have your own website you need to build your own website immediately you're falling behind everybody's doing it and you leave that coffee and you're like was that the caffeine or is that the and you go home and you're like I need I need I could whatever happened - just getting home being like what is gonna be a crazy year why oh I didn't I'm God's favor you mean I'm chosen I'm picked out I'm called out things work out for me God loves me he's crazy about me I'm always on his mind sometimes it's like god I get it relax a little bit man always wants to be with me and I don't know he always opens impossible doors for me Wow what if we had that kind of confidence this year what if we became the community because this is this is what I dream of and did I already say that I'm ending this is my end this is my end what if we were the people in community when we got together to have a conversation or even on the app you have a conversation with someone what if we were the community when someone's like I feel unseen I feel lost I feel broke you're like hey but but just know there's favor in that place - I'm here for you I'm telling you God's gonna work a miracle in your life and don't you forget that God is in the ordinary Monday everyday moments of life it is there you are favored Wow can we pray whether you here in this room whether you're there in Seattle wherever you watch a little pray we're gonna pray we're gonna pray and I'm gonna say it clearly one more time I believe for church home 2019 is going to be a year of favor I'm just believing for that I'm believing for that I'm believing for that a year where every single member of church home begins to digest and accept that you are God's favorite you're God's favorite you're God's favorite Jesus thank you for your presence in this place I thank you for your presence all over our church I thank you God that you have favored church home I thank you Lord the people in this church are your favorite I just declare that right now you walk with us every step of the way and you're here to do us favors to show your goodness and your grace in our everyday ordinary life if you're here today you say judaai I'd like to become a follower of Jesus for the Bible says God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that who so ever whoever whenever wherever would believe in him will not perish but have everlasting life if you'd like to exercise your own free will and accept and believe that Jesus is God and he's the only one that can pay the penalty for your err you're wrong in your sin then I'm gonna ask you to respond wherever you are I'm gonna ask you to respond right now this is what I'm gonna do I'm gonna count to three then I'm gonna ask you to shoot up your hand wherever you are and I believe that as you respond on the outside to what's happening on the inside it'll be Kim it'll become even more real to you even more real to you so you know you are you know who you are this isn't an accident we're together in this moment is an accident that you're listening to this message on the count of three one God loves you to believe things can change completely in your life three if that's you would you lift up your hand all over this room and all over I believe and I receive amazing Oh God you see these hands you see hands here in this auditorium in LA you see hands an auditorium is in Seattle god I thank you you see every heart not just hands then I thank you Lord for all who believe and all who receive forgiveness flows freely it is a gift it's the greatest gift in human history and we receive it that we accept it and we thank you and we are favored were your favorites and we thank you for that and lord I pray for every man woman boy and girl under the sound of my voice who feels like they are in those unseen years who feels like they're in those years that the Bible doesn't even cover in Jesus life they feel like they're not seen they feel like they're not favored they feel like things aren't working out god I pray hope I pray courage I pray faith I pray trust into their heart their mind their will and their emotions in the same way you favor Jesus in those years you will favor us in these years and may we find fulfillment may we find Lord intimate moments with you even in the years that people don't hear about and don't see us much may we experience growth in wisdom and stature and favor in Jesus name in Jesus name in Jesus name if you're able and willing would you stand with us and come on let's begin to sing out our love to Jesus whoa buddy you guys see it's the subscribe button if you press on it you subscribe to our YouTube channel then you get to watch it and we get to have fun and we get to be friends I love you

Channel: Churchome

Views: 20,412

Rating: 4.8886309 out of 5

Keywords: Churchome, Judah, Judah smith, church, message, anxiety, depression, how to, elevation, Steven, Hillsong, oceans, sermon, the city church, church home, Chelsea smith, bobby Houston, td jakes, pastor, pastor preaching, carl lentz, Jesus, conference, guest speaker, sermon jam, worship, Justin Bieber, la Hillsong, Selena, preaching, Judah message, performance

Id: UynxUd2QiLE

Length: 51min 55sec (3115 seconds)

Published: Thu Jan 17 2019