TODAY'S LESSON: FAVOURITISM
NO MAN CAN SERVE TWO MASTERS:
FOR EITHER HE WILL HATE THE ONE, AND LOVE THE OTHER;
OR ELSE HE WILL HOLD TO THE ONE, AND DESPISE THE OTHER.
YE CANNOT SERVE GOD AND MAMMON.
MATTHEW 6:24
WE LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE INTELLIGENCE AND INTEGRITY
HAVE TAKEN A BACK SEAT TO THE
"I'll SCRATCH YOUR BACK IF YOU SCRATCH MINE"
KIND OF CROWD.
NO LONGER DO THE WORDS OF SOLOMON
IN PROVERBS 22:1 RING TRUE.
A GOOD NAME IS RATHER TO BE CHOSEN THAN GREAT RICHES,
AND LOVING FAVOUR RATHER THAN SILVER AND GOLD.
FAVOURITISM IS NOTHING NEW.
IT'S BEEN AROUND, WELL...FOREVER.
REMEMBER JACOB-HE HAD TWELVE SONS,
BUT JOSEPH WAS HIS FAVORITE
AND WHAT ABOUT ESTHER.
KING AHASUERUS PICKED HER TO BE QUEEN
BECAUSE SHE FOUND FAVOUR IN HIS SIGHT.
WE ALL HAVE OUR FAVORITE FOODS, OUR FAVORITE T.V. SHOW, OUR FAVORITE OUTFITS...
THE LIST GOES ON AND ON.
NOW, LET'S GO BACK TO MATTHEW 6:24
AND TAKE A LOOK AT THINGS FROM GOD'S PERSPECTIVE.
FACT:
ALTHOUGH GOD AND JESUS ARE 1
JESUS WAS GOD'S ONLY BEGOTTEN SON.
IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD,
AND THE WORD WAS WITH GOD,
AND THE WORD WAS GOD.
JOHN 1:1
AND THE WORD WAS MADE FLESH,
AND DWELT AMONG US,
(AND WE BEHELD HIS GLORY,
THE GLORY AS OF THE ONLY BEGOTTEN OF THE FATHER,)
FULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH.
JOHN 1:14
FACT:
JESUS FOUND FAVOUR
WITH BOTH GOD AND MAN.
And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature,
and in favour with God and man.
LUKE 2:52
FACT:
WE MUST MAKE A CHOICE:
GOD OR MAN
...WHOSOEVER THEREFORE WILL BE A FRIEND OF THE WORLD IS THE ENEMY OF GOD.
JAMES 4:4b
JESUS MADE IT VERY CLEAR
THAT WE WERE TO OBEY
THE WHOLE LAW AND IT'S ENFORCERS,
BUT IN NO WAY
WAS IT TO AFFECT
OUR SERVICE TO HIM
IN ANY WAY.
And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's.
LUKE 20:25
SO, I GUESS THE QUESTION ISN'T:
HAVE WE FOUND FAVOUR IN MAN'S SIGHT?
BUT RATHER
HAVE WE FOUND FAVOUR IN GOD'S SIGHT?
