The Truth: God Desires Your Joy!
God wants you to have the greatest enjoyment and deepest pleasures!
"He gives us richly all things to enjoy!" — 1 Timothy 6:17
God is against sin—not because He wants to withhold pleasure—but because sin ultimately harms us.
As a good Father, He desires that we enjoy life without harming ourselves.
Eve’s Response:
"And the woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, "You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die."’" — Genesis 3:2–3
God never said, "nor shall you touch it."
Eve had already begun to misinterpret God’s words—and that opened the door to deception.
Final Thought:
Today, the enemy still tries to twist God’s Word and make you doubt His goodness.
But remember:
And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.
"For he will be great in the sight of the Lord . . ." — Luke 1:12–15
Yet when Zacharias heard God’s message from the angel Gabriel, he did not believe it.
"And Zacharias said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years."
And the angel answered and said to him,
"I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time."
— Luke 1:18–20
"How shall I know this?" — In the New Living Translation, Zacharias questioned the angel, "How can I be sure this will happen?"
He looked at his natural circumstances and deemed it impossible for God’s promise of a child to come true.
As a result, Zacharias became mute throughout his wife’s pregnancy.
This was out of the wisdom of God—because Zacharias’ words of unbelief could bring death to the unborn baby, despite the promise that God had made to them.
"The power of life and death is in the tongue." — Proverbs 18:21
It was only after the promised child was born, and Zacharias named him by writing out his name, John (which means “the grace of God”), that Zacharias was able to speak again.
— Luke 1:63–64
"I am highly favored by the Lord!"
In the same chapter, we see a different response from Mary—the young woman who would become the mother of Jesus:
"Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!"
— Luke 1:26–28
"Highly favored one" — This is the verse that inspired today’s sermon.
Pastor encourages us to practice this:
In the morning when you wake up, before you go to bed, and throughout the day, say this:
"(Your Name), you are highly favored. Blessed are you among men/women."
"To the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted (highly favored) in the Beloved." — Ephesians 1:6
In the Greek, the word for "highly favored" is “charitoo.”
This is the same word used in Ephesians 1:6, which tells us that we are accepted in the Beloved, Jesus Christ.
This word appears only twice in the Bible:
Once to describe Mary, and the second time to describe us—in the book of Ephesians.
You’re not just favored—you are highly favored by the Lord!
Every morning, declare this out loud:
"I am highly favored by the Lord. I am blessed among women/men!"
"Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God."
— Luke 1:30
"Do not be afraid . . . for you have found favor with God."
When angels appeared to people, they often assured them: "Do not be afraid."
Have a good opinion of God!
He doesn’t want you to entertain fear in His presence even for a moment.
Practice this in your daily life as well.
Whenever you hear bad news, remind yourself:
"Don’t be afraid. You have found favor with God."
God is on your side; He is for you and not against you.
He will work everything together for your good—because you have found favor with Him!
"Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?"
And the angel answered and said to her,
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God, nothing will be impossible."
Then Mary said, RX
"Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word."
And the angel departed from her.
— Luke 1:34–38
"How can this be, since I do not know a man?"
Mary’s only question was about the method by which the miracle would happen.
She did not—like Zacharias—question if God could perform the miracle.
Instead of doubting God and His promise, Mary responded:
"Let it be to me according to your word."
This is the response God wants from all of us:
"Let it be to me according to Your Word."
When you hear the promises of God being shared, what do you say?
Lay hold of them for yourself by saying, "Amen!"
In Hebrew, the word "believed" is the word "amen."
"And he believed (‘amen’) in the Lord; and He counted it to him for righteousness."
— Genesis 15:6
Not only is the word "believed" the Hebrew word "amen," but Jesus is also referred to as "the Amen."
— Revelation 3:14
When you say, "Amen," you are declaring:
"Let this be so in my life!"
1 Peter 1:23
"Having been born again, not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible, through the word of God, which lives and abides forever."
James 1:21
"Receive with meekness, the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls."
Proverbs 4:22
"For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh."
Hebrews 11:6
"But without faith, it is impossible to please Him. For he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."
Ephesians 2:8
"For by grace you have been saved through faith."
Hebrews 11:1
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
Hebrews 11:1, Amplified Version
"Faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses."
Acts 20:21
"Testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ."
Romans 8:32
"He that spared not his own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"
Hebrews 11:11
"By faith, Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed. And she bore a child when she was past the age because she judged Him faithful who had promised."
Genesis 42:36
"And Jacob, their father, said to them, 'You have bereaved me. Joseph is no more. Simeon is no more. And you want to take Benjamin. All these things are against me.'"
Romans 8:31
"If God is for us, who can be against us?"
Matthew 5:16
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."
Romans 4:19-20
"And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about a hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God."
Romans 8:22
"For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now."
Romans 8:19
"For the earnest expectation of the creature waits for the manifestation of the sons of God."
Genesis 3:1-3
"Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, 'Has God indeed said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?'
And the woman said to the serpent, 'We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.'"
Psalm 16:11
"At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."
1 Timothy 6:17
"In the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy."
John 11:25
"Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life.'"
Romans 6:9-11
"Knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all. But the life that He lives, He lives to God.
Likewise, you also reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Luke 1:12-15
"And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, 'Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard. And your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord.'"
Luke 1:18-20
"And Zacharias said to the angel, 'How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.'
And the angel answered and said to him, 'I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God. And I was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.'"
Luke 1:26-38
"Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary.
And having come in, the angel said to her, 'Rejoice, highly favored one. The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women.'"