Frankie Mazzapica - Finding Favor with the Lord
Thank you for tuning in. This is the message for today. I want you to take notes, even if you’re sitting in your kitchen. The title of today’s message is «The Favor of God: Finding Favor with the Lord.» Let me give you a couple of verses right out of the gate from Romans 2:11. If you want to take notes, go to your app store, type in Celebration Church TWW. My notes are inside that app. You can make your own notes and email them to yourself. In Romans 2:11, it says that God does not have any favorites. In other words, God does not love the person on your right or on your left more than He loves you; He doesn’t love Moses more than He loves you or King David. He has no favorites; He loves all of us—every single person—beyond what we can imagine. However, though He loves all of us, He doesn’t bestow His favor on everyone. He is very selective about those to whom He grants His favor.
Now, to receive the favor of God, several things need to happen. First, you can experience His presence quicker, faster, and deeper than 99% of the world. Most of the world is not aware of this, and some of you may be here and it’s okay—you will grow in this gift. But some people think about God, they love God, but they can’t really connect with Him. When they close their eyes, they can’t connect, even with their eyes open. I want to tell you that if you can drive in your car and talk to Him and feel connected to Him, that is the favor of God. When you’re in church and you’re worshiping, and you just feel connected to Him, that is the favor of God. The favor of God is when doors of opportunity open for you in ways you cannot believe—it’s like, «I could not have made this happen by myself; God did this!» Wave at me or clap your hands if you’ve ever experienced that, like there’s no way this could have happened. That’s in Revelation 3:7, where God opens doors. That’s the favor of God.
Our case study is going to be Noah. In Genesis 6:8, it says that the Lord favored Noah. The entire Earth was filled with sinful people engaged in debauchery, idolatry, and immorality. They could not stand the things of God and were sinful in every way. The Lord looked down and saw a man who was righteous, and the Bible says that Noah found favor with God. There are three things Noah did to receive this favor, and these are the same things you and I need to do to have His hand of favor on us so we can walk and experience His presence. This favor means we don’t have to fight for ourselves; the Lord fights for us. When a spirit is tormenting you, you don’t have to live with it; angels draw their swords. This is the favor of God.
There are three things Noah did, and they aren’t difficult at all. The first is to be in right standing before God—a righteousness of God. The second is to have a fear of God. The third is to believe in what God has said. So, let’s unpack this. In Genesis 6:9, it says Noah was a righteous man who lived blamelessly among the people and walked in close fellowship with the Lord. What’s number one? He had favor. But why? Because he lived a righteous life.
Now, what does righteousness mean? Righteousness is looking at your former ways of living prior to saying, «Lord, You’re my king,» and deciding, «These are things I do not do.» Let me say it again: Righteousness is taking stock of your former way of living before you gave your life to God and stating that there are certain things you refuse to do. A child of God is not identified by the things they do as much as by the things they refuse to do. «I’m not going to talk like that. I’m not going to do that. I’m not going to dress like that. I’m not going to act like that.» Peter put it this way in 1 Peter 1:14: «We must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your former ways of living; you didn’t know any better then.»
Now, the wonderful thing about righteousness is that it does not mean you are flawless. In fact, Noah got drunk—plastered, in fact. Drinking wine is not a sin; getting plastered is. The Bible says to not be drunk. Even the Apostle Paul advised Timothy to have a bit of wine because it is good for the stomach. But Noah got plastered; he was naked. Yet he was called righteous. Righteousness is hungering and thirsting to be in the presence of God, to be living right. In Matthew 5:6, He says, «Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled.»
We used to have a worship leader—let’s call her Tamara—who was really good. But we found out that on Saturday nights, she would sing at a social club. When I was growing up, we didn’t call them social clubs; we called them nightclubs. Someone sent me a video and asked, «Do you know Tamara sings at a social club?» I was like, «And what do I care?» They sent me the video, and I watched her singing a well-known song that many of you might recognize. She was singing «Hips Don’t Lie.» I thought, «What are they not lying about?» The next song was «If You Like It, You Should Have Put a Ring on It.» How can I go about this? She sang «Hips Don’t Lie» one night and «Holy, Holy, Holy» the next morning. I was confused. Are you with me? Just nod your head; you’re confusing me. More so, I believe she was confusing the Lord because He is a jealous God.
I’ve given this illustration before. Have you ever seen those people at the circus standing on two horses? That’s not how you live for the Lord. You cannot live for the Lord on Sunday and not on Saturday. You can’t ride both horses; you have to pick one. So I went to my wife, and I asked her about Tamara. I already knew the answer. I showed her the video, and my wife was shocked. I said, «Well, she has to make a choice.» My wife said, «She already crossed that bridge,» meaning she thought she could do both, and there was no conviction there. So we decided to give her another chance. But Tamara ultimately said, «I’m making too much money on Saturday night; I can’t do this.» This is not longing for righteousness; this is not saying, «I’m walking away from this for this.»
When you say, «I want the favor of God in my life,» there has to be a separation where people know you are different. I’ve talked to a lot of people who want to act like everyone else so they don’t make others feel awkward around them. But we want them to feel awkward! There’s something different about you. And when you live that way, the Lord sees how hard it is for you and says, «I’m going to bless you.»
Several years ago, I heard a man share a vision he had. In his dream, he walked into a club he frequented often. The demons in the dream were laughing at him, pointing towards him. Then he realized they were not laughing at him; they were mocking the Holy Spirit who was right next to him. They were saying, «You think he’s yours, but he’s ours. He talks like us; he walks like us; he hangs out with us.» The Holy Spirit just stood there, receiving their mocking and ridicule. The man cried in his dream and said, «I’m so sorry for putting you in these situations—not just in the club but in the way I live my life, where demons mock and laugh at You.» I thought, «Oh God, I am so sorry.»
Being in right standing with the Lord is important. The second thing is that he feared God. He hungered and thirsted for righteousness. You might want to write this down: If you are concerned about whether you are righteous enough to go to heaven, you don’t need to worry. If you’re unconcerned, then you need to be worried.
The Bible says in Hebrews 7 that Noah had a holy fear of the Lord, which drove him to build an ark for his family. It’s interesting that he didn’t say he built an ark for himself; he built it for his family. He understood that his actions affected his family. How you live directly impacts at least five people around you, either building spiritual momentum or discouraging them. You affect the fire in their heart or allow their heart to grow cold.
Let me say it again: You affect at least five people. Your way of living makes their hearts grow hotter or colder for the Lord. Noah built an ark for his family because he had a holy fear of God. What does holy fear mean? It means being in awe of Him. When we pray, we should take a moment to realize who we are talking to. Acts 17:28 says, «In Him, we live and move and have our being.»
This flood was not just a torrential downpour; it was a combination of many elements: water coming down, eruptions from deep within the Earth, tsunamis from the deep, earthquakes. The whole world shook under this power! Think about how amazing God is, to make the earth shake! Hebrews 12:27 says that everything that can be shaken will be shaken, so only unshakeable things may remain. When the favor of God is on you and you hunger for righteousness, everyone around you may be shaken with fear, worry, and turmoil, but you will remain.
I remember being in a restaurant many years ago. There was this drunk guy cursing up a storm, and when he started using Jesus' name, my skin crawled. At the time, I was only 21 and weighed just about 98 pounds, but the man I was with stood up and said, «Hey, what are you doing? That’s my Lord you’re talking about!» I thought, «Wow.» He was not only strong physically but stronger in his faith. Noah had this hunger for righteousness—he desired it, and he feared God.
Lastly, he believed in God’s word. In Genesis 15:6 it says, «Because Noah had faith in God, He counted him righteous.» So not only did Noah long for righteousness, but God also acknowledged his faith. Just believing God is there is not enough; you must believe in what He says. When you truly believe in what you say you believe, every aspect of your life is transformed.
In Hebrews 11:6, it says you cannot please God without faith. Anyone who has faith believes two things: one, that He exists; and two, that He rewards those who seek Him. When you believe that God rewards those who earnestly pray and worship, He begins to favor you.
One of the greatest struggles in my life, aside from fighting battles with depression, is the fear that I’ve reached the peak of how God will use me. I can feel myself going into a negative spiral, and I tell myself that I can’t allow that. Then I remember my third point: if I can believe that He rewards those who diligently seek Him, that He truly rewards my worship, then I’ll hold on to that.
If I keep saying it over and over again, «Hebrews 11:6! Hebrews 11:6!"—that I believe in God and in His promises, then I trust that He will hold up His end of the deal. This is the person the Lord looks at and says, «Aha! You aren’t perfect, but you’re longing for righteousness! You see how majestic I am, and you believe I will reward you. You are the one who will have my favor on your life.» Isn’t God good?
Please stand up and give Him a standing ovation. Come on, give it to Him! Lord, we love You! Now, let’s close the service in a different way. I want you to hold your hands out and ask the Holy Spirit if there’s a part of your life that feels unrighteous—maybe an attitude or a lack of forgiveness. Typically, a person lives righteously except for one or two areas, and those are what I want you to place in your hands. If it’s one area, imagine it laying there like a fire log; if two, hold one in each hand. Take a moment to think about that and offer it to Him.
If you’re in this room and you’re not sure where you would spend eternity if your heart were to stop beating in the next five minutes, imagine your entire life in your hands, saying, «God, I’m laying it down. This is everything I am.» Now, put your hands by your side, and then I want you to lift your hands again. Tell the Lord what you need: «Lord, this is what I’m longing for. This is my biggest prayer request.»
There will be no official dismissal, but please don’t leave yet. I want to end this service by worshipping Him again. Give me just three or four minutes to sing this song through one or two times before you go. If you want to stay longer, you’re free to do so. We will continue to sing, so step out whenever you get ready.
May the Lord bless you, keep you, and let His face shine down upon you. May His countenance be lifted up on you and bring you peace. In Jesus' name, amen.