Sermon Central
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God's Preferential Treatment
Contributed by Olayinka Alamu on Mar 28, 2003 (message contributor)
Summary: This sermon alaborates How God gives preference to His children
God’s Preferential Treatment
Define Preference from WEBSTER:
· Preference is a noun and can be defined as the act, fact, or principle of giving advantages to some over others.
· The act of preferring
· The state of being preferred
Preferential now means giving Preference. We can do better by defining preferential treatment as the treatment that is as a result of giving advantages to some over others. (Talk more about this, how people liked to be preferred or noticed)
God preferential treatment therefore is a kind of treatment that upgrades or promotes us spiritually, physically and mentally. And we are in that month. I am not talking about a preferential treatment that fails but the one that is permanent, the one that comes from my Father…
For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south.
But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.
Let us see the bible illustration of one of such treatment.
Mathew 19:13-22
· Jesus preferred the children and they were blessed.
· His disciples preferred the Rich man and he went home sorrowful. But at least he experienced some kind of treatment that some of us like to experience.
*. Beginning from now we will enjoy a permanent preference treatment from God in
Jesus name.
Who needs this kind of treatment?
Everyone needs preferential treatment, but Christians need God’s preferential treatment. I mean we all want to be above others or be the best in everything we do, but it is up to you if you want to be the best temporarily like Saul or be the best permanently like David…
§ You don’t have to know anyone or go through anyone to get a preferential treatment from God.
§ You don’t have to depend on your wisdom, strength or riches to get a preferential treatment from God.
(Jeremiah 9:23-24) “This is what the LORD says: "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the LORD ”.
§ You don’t have to struggle for you to be preferred by God. In other words your effort is limited because all you need to do is to stand still and the oil of preference will flow, like it will flow on everyone here this morning. I know this because in the book of 1 Samuel 16:5-13, The oil did not flow until David came without any struggle.
§ You don’t have to hold a special position in the family or in your job. In other words you don’t have to be an important figure in your family or your job.
Gideon Judges 6:15 (the weakest /poor family in manasseh and he is
the least in his father’s house)
Bethlehem Matthew 2:6 (Bethleheh is by no means in the land of Judah)
§ Your personality does not matter. So I have good news for you this morning, if you think you are not good enough for God’s preferential treatment. No matter your past, I enjoin you to have a second thought because this morning you will be preferred.
Jephthah Judges 11:1 (His mother was a prostitute, but he was preferred)
Rahab Joshua 2 (Not only that a prostitute was preferred to
Accommodate the spies, but she was one of the
ancestors of Jesus Christ Matthew 1:5)
David (David was a murderer and adulterer)
What Happens when you are preferred?
§ When you are preferred then you are blessed like the children that were brought to Jesus in Matthew 19:15. This blessing is also permanent
§ When God prefers you, He will do more than what we anticipated. Ephesians 3:20 (Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us). For example Solomon in 1Kings asked for wisdom and God gave him everything. His background is full of History but he was still preferred.
§ When God prefers you to others, His presence will always be with you like in the case of Daniel. Daniel l2:17 (He was the best of the best).
Having said all these, what must we do to be preferred
Repentance
Repentance is to experience Godly sorrow for and seek to change wrong behavior.
Obedience
Deut 28:13, for us to be preferred then we must do Deut 28:1
Humility /Lowliness / Submissiveness
Not proud or arrogant 18:12). If you want to be honored / preferred by God. (Proverbs 22:4)
Sincere Heart
The LORD does not look at what man looks at. He looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7. If our heart can be pure and make us innocent before God then we are ready for God’s preferential treatment. Psalm 51:17
