Bill Johnson - Recognizing Divine Favor
Good catch! Chris and Kathy have been such a huge part of our lives—it’s an understatement of the century. We actually lived together for a season in Weaverville while their home was being built, and it was just such a privilege. When Benny and I moved to Weaverville, Chris and Kathy were not involved in the church leadership; Chris was recovering from a nervous breakdown. There were other leaders, the Dairyberries who are here—why don’t you wave your hand, Bill and Judy? Chris probably wouldn’t be alive without those two; they really had a profound impact on all of us, but especially Chris. They weren’t part of the leadership team by any means, but Chris had this passion to learn and a passion to serve. He would stop by the house constantly on his way home from work, asking if there was something he could do.
I finally decided I had to make things up; I had to look for some odd job to give this guy because he pesters me—in a good way, you know, in a godly way—just to serve. That hunger to learn and serve has marked their lives to this day. I’m so thankful. I can’t imagine life without these two; they’ve had such an impact on me and my kids. At work in Weaverville, if I was having a rough time, I would just schedule lunch with Chris because it was almost guaranteed he was having a rougher time. We would sit down to lunch at The Mustard Seed, and he’d tell me what was going on in the gas station that day or the auto shop, and we would laugh. I’d go back to the office thinking, «Man, I’ve got it good.»
This went on for 17 years! I remember one day coming to lunch with him and thinking I had just heard the ultimate story. Imagine this: he owns a gas station, and there’s a car parked against the wall. It had been there for several days waiting to be repaired, having been dropped off two or three days earlier, and there had been no problem with it. Well, he happens to have a customer whose car is being worked on and doesn’t really like Chris, but Chris is the best at his job—nobody else in the area could fix it, so the customer brought the car to Chris. They stood there talking about the job that needs to be done when suddenly they look over, and this car that had been there for three days just starts backing out of the stall. The customer says to Chris, «I don’t think anyone’s driving that.» Of course, it wasn’t—it had been there for days. They watched as the car backed down the driveway, turned left, and went up the highway with nobody in it. Then it turned left again, came back up the driveway, and ran into this customer’s car. The customer said, «Had I not seen it for myself, I never would have believed you.»
I would go have lunch just to find some laughter relief because he certainly had experienced something worse than I did, and it was fun. We are so indebted to you, and we wanted to say thank you all week long and honor you guys. Thank you so much—20 years, it’s wonderful! Bless him again, would you? Thank you! I’m so thankful for you. I’ve got about an hour-long message that we’re going to do in 36 minutes, so listen fast because I can’t go an hour. Grab your Bibles, open to the book of Matthew, Chapter 20, and I’m going to abbreviate some things. Honestly, I talked a couple of weeks ago about the subject of bitterness—a nice Christmas message. Merry Christmas, by the way! I’ll reinsert that phrase now and then just to remind you that I know what season it is.
I spoke on the subject of bitterness a couple of weeks ago as the defiling factor. In Hebrews, there’s a warning about bitterness, and Jesus taught that you are forgiven as you forgive, which means you set the standard for how you are forgiven in your life. The issue of bitterness is so destructive in a person’s life. Someone once said that bitterness is like drinking poison, hoping it will affect the other person. It doesn’t; it destroys the internal world of an individual. Through my pastoral care over the last 45 years, I’ve noticed that there are three areas that seem to invite and accelerate demonic activity in a person’s life.
Those three areas are sexual perversion, any repeated activity, and do you understand that sins start as sin of the flesh and then move into spiritual sin where they become demonically inspired? It’s true. Even witchcraft is mentioned as a sin of the flesh in Galatians 5. Witchcraft? Do you think that starts off absolutely demonic? It doesn’t, because witchcraft by nature is manipulation and control, and many parents use manipulation and control to raise their kids, not realizing they’re partnering with the spirit of witchcraft. Politicians do it all the time, as do pastors and leaders. The issue of manipulation and control is the seedbed for the spirit of witchcraft, which eventually becomes demonically controlling and empowered activity in a person’s life.
The same thing goes for sexual sin and sexual perversion. I’ve watched over the years as people have come under demonic activity in their lives through repeated sexual sin. The second would be drug abuse, especially hallucinogenics, which open a person up to the spirit world, turning them into a pawn in the demonic realm. The third is bitterness. The two most frightening people I’ve ever known—working as a pastor with all kinds of people, even those on the streets—were people whose core issue was bitterness. They had other issues too, but they had become so possessed and tormented by the spirit of bitterness that it was frightening. Both of them actually ended up in prison for life for murder because bitterness is murder in diapers; it’s undeveloped murder. The enemy’s attempt is always to get you to destroy someone else and destroy yourself in the process.
Merry Christmas, by the way; just thought I’d let you know I know what season it is. Now, let’s move on. What I want to do with this story is revisit it when I can take a good period of time, maybe on a Sunday night where I can take an actual full hour. For now, I’m going to summarize a story in Matthew 20. It’s about a landowner and his servants. He hires people from the city square, going down to find those needing jobs to help on his farm. It was a 12-hour workday, and he hired folks for a denarius. He returned after about three hours to find more people needing work, went back to the ranch, and finally at the 11th hour, with only an hour left to work, he found more people still needing jobs.
At the end of the day, he pays them, and those who were hired last had worked only one hour. He pays them a denarius, while everyone else in line thought, «This is awesome! The landowner is being generous!» They believed they would receive more, but when he reached the workers who had labored for 12 hours, he gave them a denarius as well. They were angry because they were paid the same as the guy who only worked one hour. Listen to this concluding verse, Matthew 20:15: «Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?»
Here’s the bottom line: every one of us is in this story as either the favored one or as the friend of the favored one, and that role will change. There will be moments where the spotlight is on you, and you get what you know you do not deserve. You will be honored and blessed in ways you never could have worked for—it’s called grace. There will be times when your friend gets the very thing you prayed for, the very thing you fasted for. I don’t know why it works this way, but it seems the person who has three cars is also the one driving into the grocery store when they are the one-millionth customer and wins a fourth car, while the person in need of a car is left behind. Don’t make me explain it; I don’t understand it either. I just know that resource attracts resource and favor attracts favor. At times in our lives, we will be the one selected, chosen, and given the hundred dollars for one hour’s work instead of 12. Everyone in this room has those moments—it’s called grace, and that’s the way the kingdom works.
But the kingdom also works in another way: the guy next to you receives what you’ve been praying for. Here’s the question: is your eye evil because he is good? Let’s put it another way: because of the corruption in your own heart, do you see the goodness of God displayed on another person in a wrong way? Has it distorted your perception of divine favor somewhere else? The real lesson is for us to learn to celebrate the breakthroughs and the favor shown to another person. Proverbs says that if I don’t know how to handle another person’s possessions, I cannot be entrusted with my own. Let’s take this as the possession of favor. If I cannot celebrate the favor bestowed upon Dan, if I can’t rejoice in that grace resting on him—where he is this amazing, highly favored person by all I know—then I am not qualified to have the same measure of favor in my life. Why? Because I’ll pervert and distort it. If I cannot handle someone else’s possession well, I cannot be entrusted with my own.
In the practical sense, it’s like renting a car. People who rent cars often treat them much worse than their own. What this does in the unseen realm is restrict the measure and level of personal promotion, because we’ve chosen to abuse what is not ours, thereby restricting ourselves from future promotion. Another person’s favor is to be celebrated. There are times when the Lord will plant someone in your life, and they will receive what you’ve longed for, prayed for, fasted for, and cried out to God about—maybe for years. Then they come in and somehow receive it in six months, and that’s a test. The test is to see how I can manage my heart when somebody else receives easily what I have labored for.
This is the story: is your eye evil because he is good? What happens is when things are not right here, I will distort the circumstances of another person’s life to twist it for my favor—to where I appear the winner in the argument. Jealousy moves to read the motives of others, bringing accusations to the heart—maybe never spoken out loud, but jealousy can also be reasonable. I remember wanting to pray for someone; I sensed something on them. I asked, «Do you need to forgive anyone?» Their response was, «You don’t realize what they did to me.» In other words, I have a reason; my reasoning says this is a legitimate response to what was done to me. That reasoning is carnal, unrenewed mind reasoning—it is not biblical.
Biblical reasoning works from the cross toward a situation. It works from the redemptive work of Jesus toward any broken situation we find ourselves in. Jealousy enables a person’s perspective to be corrupted; they read wrong motives into another person’s heart. The way you walk in forgiveness is to steer clear of thinking you know someone else’s motives. It is forbidden territory; it’s no trespassing. I do not have the right to say, «They did this because…» I don’t have the right to go there because the Bible tells us I cannot even know my own heart. What’s scary to me is there are people confessing Christ who do not read this Word. This Word is a knife that cuts to expose thoughts from God and those that are not. How do you live with ample discernment to recognize when you are stepping into forbidden territory and trying to ascertain the motives of another person?
James 3:13 says, «Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts—self-promotion in your hearts—do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, and demonic.» Listen to this: bitter jealousy is a form of wisdom. That’s what it says. Those who are steeped in bitterness and jealousy consider themselves right, discerning, and accurate. Bitter jealousy masquerades as the need for justice and is biblically called wisdom. It is wisdom, but from the demonic realm.
The biggest battleground we face is the mind—our thought world. Perhaps we can spend a few weeks on this one theme. If you can imagine, in the old days, strongholds were places of safety for kings and soldiers. They could regroup there and replenish themselves. Imagine a stronghold built from large stones representing illegitimate thoughts and concepts the enemy raises against other people or our identity and destiny. Every time I embrace an illegal thought, it’s like adding a stone. Eventually, that stone forms a castle in my thinking, which is a shelter for the demonic.
You might think Christians can’t be influenced by demons, but that’s simply not true. Paul warned not to give place to the devil—he wouldn’t say that if it were impossible. So, if you find yourself thinking you’re under delusion concerning bitterness, rejection, jealousy—all these things mean that repentance is needed. It means you must confess your sin specifically, not just say, «Oh God, forgive me for my bad attitude.» Deal with the lies. The best antidote for lies is truth.
Here’s an awkward story: several years ago, I went through a Christian magazine with conference after conference, and I realized that I was succeeding in resisting the spirit of accusation but I wasn’t feeling God’s heart for them. I didn’t want bitterness; I chose indifference as a solution. Then, I realized that I hadn’t managed to feel God’s heart for them. I began turning the pages—looking at the people’s pictures and asking God’s heart for them—recognizing that favor rests on them for a reason. I realized how easy it is to enter indifference when dealing with jealousy.
When you step into a place of serving and loving those you question, you discover the reasons why they act the way they do. My dad had a saying: if you wash another person’s feet, you’ll find out why they walk the way they do. I have spent time with some folks who are real rascals, and when I serve them, I learn about their lives. This is why they limp; if I had that kind of life, I’d limp too.
It’s about stepping into a place of action. The heart of forgiveness must involve measurable behavior. If I say I love God, whom I can’t see, and I hate my brother whom I can see, I am a liar. Why? Because I don’t have the right to claim an invisible reality that cannot be demonstrated through my behavior in the natural. It must be verifiable in how I treat those around me.
We need to recognize that the atmosphere of jealousy can become the seedbed for bitterness in a person’s life. This issue of jealousy, according to scripture, is actually reasonable from a demonic perspective. If it makes sense to you, guess where you’re seeing from—you’re perceiving through the enemy’s eyes. It’s the only reason it makes sense.
We come before God in truth and acknowledge, «I see this. I’m convinced I’m right, and I know I’m not because it’s contrary to your word.» Repent of these thoughts. You might need to forgive someone a hundred times a day. When I was struggling with someone, I would reaffirm my forgiveness to that person repeatedly. I’d stop and remind myself: I have forgiven this person. I refuse to think evil of them. I bless them, serving them.
If you didn’t win the car you needed, and your friend with three cars now has four, then buy them a tank of gas. Put it into a practical action. We need fruit that gives evidence for what’s happening within us. Yes, you can fake it, but fake it until you make it! Do the right thing until it becomes your nature.
Jealousy destroys lives. I sense we are in another wave of promotions, which are wonderful, but they don’t happen to everyone at once. One of you will be the one with wages for a day’s work for one hour, while another will work hard for minimum. Use that opportunity to learn how to ensure jealousy has no voice in your heart or head. Truth dismantles the blocks that create strongholds for the enemy.
Philippians chapter 4 talks about thinking on things that are knowable, right, true, and faithful. I have had times when my mind was bombarded, and in those moments, I’d ask, «God, what is true about that person that I’m overlooking?» I would look for truths, and something would come alive in me, confronting the jealousy.
Let’s acknowledge all creation groans for the revealing of the sons and daughters of God. They do so because they have seen it once—the very creation cooperated to point to the Messiah, Jesus. Now, creation cries out for the accurate representation of who God is through our freedom. There’s no freedom where there’s jealousy, bitterness, and regret. All those negative feelings are addicted to the past.
The enemy fears your freedom because in our freedom, there is a creative expression of what God wants to do in the earth. This very strong biblical basis says that artisans were raised in the last days with creative expression to war against the four beasts. God’s solution for restriction, bondage, resentment, and bitterness is freedom; our liberty produces freedom in creation itself.
The greatest freedom anyone can experience comes when they surrender their life to the only one who has the right to run it—Jesus Christ, the King, the Lord, the Master. He chooses to co-labor with us, forgiving us and lovingly expressing Himself as a Father. He tutors us, brings us into layers of liberty, and that freedom is available for everyone here and everyone watching on Bethel TV.
I want to take a moment and ask if anyone here would say, «Bill, I don’t want to leave today until I know I’ve been forgiven by God Himself. I want to be brought into His family and be a true disciple, a follower of Jesus.» If that’s you, please raise your hand. Yes, I see you over there. Anyone else? Just raise your hand high. Beautiful! Welcome! This is a marvelous moment; the greatest miracle occurs when a person is changed in an instant, forgiven, filled with the Holy Spirit, and entered into God’s family.
I want to ask you to stand, and I’d like the ministry team to come to the front so we can pray together. If you raised your hand, please come forward. The ministry team will serve you and pray with you. Now, I want everyone holding their hands out in front of you before the Lord.
Father, I ask that you would give such an unusual anointing and grace to this church family—not to be bound by yesterday, but to be free from every trace of jealousy, resentment, and regret, so that true liberty would be demonstrated in the lives of this family. I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Now, some of you need prayer for a miracle in your bodies or have other issues you’d like prayer for. We have a team down here that would love to pray with you. You must be back tonight! David Hogan is here, which is going to be awesome. Let’s give Pastor Bill a big hand! Isn’t that amazing? I thought it was a perfect Christmas message as he helps us all get healthier as we step into family at another level. God bless you! Have a great day! If you need prayer for anything, come on up front, and we’re going to see miracles happen—it’s going to be great! Have a wonderful day!