** With God All Things Are Possible

Thank you for listening to this message from the ministry of Morse Corner Church in Leverett, Massachusetts.

Morse Corner is a non -denominational church that is committed to the preaching and teaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our church was founded in 1896 by two students of the famous evangelist

D .L. Moody. We seek to encourage and edify the body of Christ through the proclamation of God's word through the ministries of the local church.

If you'd like more information, visit our website morsecornerchurch .com. We hope you enjoy the message.

Genesis 21 verses 6 and 7 says, and Sarah said, God, this is when she gave birth to Isaac afterwards, she says,

God has made me laugh and all who hear will laugh with me.

And some of you just did. So it's prophecy that came true. She also said, who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children?

Maybe that was the thought that she was laughing about, but she says, for I have born him a son in his old age.

Now, I don't know if this is the difference between being highly favored and just favored, but Mary said yes and Zacharias and Sarah were not totally convinced.

At least that's the way it seemed. So Mary was what? She found favor with God.

That's the title of the message, favor with God. But Mary was highly favored. Here's the thing for you.

It shouldn't be the desire of every believer. It should be our desire to have and to walk in and to experience

God's favor. Don't you want to know that you have

God's favor? I suppose one might argue that every true believer just automatically has the favor of God.

After all, they're saved, their sins are forgiven, your name is written in heaven. Every believer has

God's favor. The Greek word translated favor is charis and it's usually translated grace.

And certainly every true believer has received and experienced the grace of God.

But I think there's something about having God's favor or being highly favored that takes it to another level.

And that's where your faith comes in. You know, there's some people that do have saving faith, but then there's other people who have a strong faith.

Don't we want that strong faith? There are some people who are seeking God. They're seeking

God in their life, but then there's others that are diligently seeking God. There are some who obey the commandments.

You're living a Christian life, and you're being blessed to a certain degree, but there's a higher level of obedience.

And with a higher level of obedience come greater blessing, greater favor.

So my point is don't just settle for second best. You should desire the favor of God.

Another way it can be translated, favor means that which affords joy.

Do you want to be joyful? This is a season where we talk about joy. There's signs and lights that read joy.

We hear songs about joy. Joy is the gift of grace. We all want joy in our hearts, and that is possible when we have

God's favor. Without God's favor, can you really have joy? I don't think you can.

Another definition, the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, and increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of Christian virtues.

So if you want the favor of God, exercise Christian virtues. So one could argue that every true believer has

God's favor. I think that there's some truth to that, but Christians can also grieve God's spirit, and to truly have this favor, let's go back to our main points.

Number one, you need to have Okay, to have favor of God, you must have faith.

Number two, we must what? Diligently seek God. And then number three,

I would argue part of diligently seeking God is not just a feeling.

It's not just making God a priority, but it's obedience. Again, Zacharias and Elizabeth walked blameless before God.

Mary was highly faithful. I know there's people who say that Mary was sinless, right?

The perpetual virgin sin. We don't believe that. She did call God her Savior, which we're going to read in a moment.

So it indicates Mary did need to be forgiven. She wasn't perfect. So we're not talking about perfection, but we're talking about living a life of obedience to God.

That's how you find the Lord's favor. So how can we do this?

How can we do this? This is kind of basic, but on the other hand, we need to know how to implement this, how to receive

God's favor. We can think about, is there a part of our life that we're holding back?

One thing that strikes me with Mary when she says, makes that statement, let it be. You know, yes, whatever

God says, let it be. I don't get the sense that Mary was holding back on the

Lord. I don't know about you, but I don't think she was. So we can think about that. Is there any part of our life where we are holding back?

Well, you can answer that in your own heart, but take heart. You know, it's possible.

It's possible to go from here to here, to have favor, to be highly favored, to be obedient, to be blameless.

You realize that's possible. I think we have heard so many times that all have sinned, all have sinned, come short of glory, and we just get the idea that well,

I am who I am, and that can never change, or people think that about you. They have low expectations of you that you're just never going to change.

I think God thinks more highly of you, that with his spirit, we can change.

So take heart. It's gonna have to start small. I would liken it to this.

If you want to get into shape, right, you're gonna eat right, you have to exercise.

It's not gonna happen in a week. If you want to grow in your faith and grow in holiness to God, it's not gonna happen in a day, is it?

You can't just say a prayer or expect God to come. This is what some people are waiting for. They're waiting for God to kind of zap them, and then tomorrow they'll, it'll be effortless.

That's not the way it goes. It is a process. It takes time. It takes consistency.

It takes faith that God can actually do it. There's some of you, you're thinking in your mind right now, yeah, maybe, but I don't think

God's actually gonna do that, or I don't know if God, you probably know better than to say that God can't do it.

But you think, well, I don't know. You're being like Zacharias. Well, I don't, you know, I don't know about that.

Be like Mary. Let it be. God can do it. Can God do it? What's the answer?

Yes. Yes, He can. Well, I don't know. Yes. Well, but you don't know what

I've been through. Yes. Yes is like an affirmation of faith. Yes.

God says it, it can happen because we have God. What's that plaques, that plaque in the back of the sanctuary in front of the window.

What does it say? You guys ever noticed this? Do you know it's there?

I'll take my glasses off. With God, all things are what?

Possible. So I want, before you leave, when you walk by, I want you to look at that.

And if you don't say yes verbally, you look at that and just in your mind, yes.

Yes. But sometimes we do hold back on God. There, you know, there are some things, let's be honest, there are some things in our mind and our heart, some things we're just not willing to do.

There are some places we figure if God wants me to go there, I'm not willing to go there.

There's some people we're not willing to forgive. Any of this sound familiar? We're holding back on God.

And maybe God won't lead you here. Maybe he won't ask you to do this. He does want you to forgive. We can do it.

We can reach that next level in our faith. Mary, who is highly favored, she said to God, let it be.

She said to the angel, yes, let it be. What's the title of the message? Favor with God.

And no man, let's turn to Philippians chapter two, because I'd be remiss if I didn't bring this up.

No person, no man has ever had favor with God. Than the

Lord Jesus Christ. If Mary was highly favored, Jesus was the most highly favored.

Let's look at Philippians chapter two, starting in verse eight. And why was

Christ exalted? Why was Christ given the name which is above every name? Because he was obedient, even unto death, the death of the cross.

Philippians two, verse eight. Speaking of Christ being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to what?

To the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore, God also has highly exalted him and given him the name which is above every name that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow of those in heaven and those on earth and those under the earth and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is

Lord to the glory of God the Father. And that's usually where we stop reading.

But we see Jesus was the most highly favored. He is the most exalted. But we're going to keep reading because this is the

Christmas season. And one of the things around Christmas time, you see a lot of what?

You see lights, right? We see lights everywhere around Christmas time.

Jesus said about himself, he said, I am the light of the world.

Jesus is a light shining in darkness. And I know you've noticed that this is a very dark time that we're living in.

This is also a dark time of year. This next section starting in verse 12 is titled light bearers.

Who do you think the light bearers are? Christians, right? Followers of Jesus. The Apostle Paul writes based on everything we just read about Jesus being highly exalted.

Look at Philippians 2 .12. He says, therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for his good pleasure.

Do all things without complaining and disputing. More on that in a second.

Verse 15, that you may become what? Blameless. Who else was blameless?

Zechariah and Elizabeth walked before the Lord blameless. Oh, I could never reach that level.

What does Paul say? These are just random believers in the city of Philippi.

That you may become what? Blameless. Is it possible? Yes, right?

That you may become blameless and harmless children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.

Among whom you shine as lights in the world. Now, this will be a convicting statement.

Do all things without complaining. That's a hard one. There's a lot of things to complain about.

Amen. You'll get an amen on that. Well, I shouldn't amen that, I guess. But it's true.

Would he tell believers to do all things without complaining unless it was possible?

It's possible to do all things. So let me add this challenge to the message.

Let's start with the Christmas season. For the next few weeks, let's try to complain less.

Or if you really want to shoot for that goal, don't complain at all until December 26th.

And then the 26th, then you can move on to your New Year's resolution. I'm going to try to do better with complaining for the next year.

But you got to start slow. Well, I complain all the time. I complain every day. Well, that might be true.

But if you kind of retrain your mind with God's help in his word and prayer, after a few weeks of doing it different, it becomes easier.

Easier, doesn't it? All of this is possible, and it becomes easier over time.

Christians, after all, are to be what? Christ -like. That's what Christian means, to be like Christ.

But I think you get the point, so I'll just end the message here. Mary had favor with God.

You can have favor with God. Have faith, diligently seek him, and then seek to walk in obedience.

Can you do it? Yes. Amen. Let's close in prayer. Heavenly Father, and I do pray that we would remember that statement, that with God, all things are possible.

Mary had God's favor. And, Lord, I pray that your spirit would impress this message on each one here, that we can walk in and experience your favor throughout the coming days, weeks, and years, as long as you give us here on this earth.

And I pray it all in Jesus' name. Amen. Thanks for listening.

I'm Pastor Michael Grant from Morris Cornick Church. If you'd like to listen to the complete message or if you'd like more information about the ministry, visit our website,

MorrisCornickChurch .com. And we'd love to have you join us some Sunday morning here in Leverett.