When we look at the idea of being “blessed and highly favored” we see that it comes from the Gospel of St. Luke.
Notice the exchange that happens:
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.
One of the first things I want you to know, is that this declaration, this proclamation, this decree was not one that Mary spoke over her own life. This was not a self-proclaimed blessing over her life, but instead it was Gabriel who spoke this blessing over her.
Mary was blessed, but not because she said so, it was because God said so.
In other words, we aren’t blessed because we say it. We are blessed because God says it. And it is because of God’s grace.
The word grace used here in the Greek is “Kecharitomene” (pronounced key-car-it-oh-may-nay). If you were to translate it the in English language it literally means “you who have been graced.” And can I tell you that this is the only time this form of the word is used in scripture.
There are other forms of the word grace in scripture, but none of them are used in this exact form. This lets us know that while God has called many people blessed throughout scripture and has even called people favored, only one person has he ever called highly favored.
To further understand this passage and statement we need to keep reading. The first thing to pay attention to is Mary’s response to this greeting. The bible says “But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. – Luke 1:29.
Wait a minute why wasn’t Mary shouting? Why didn’t she go running through the streets of Nazareth declaring I am blessed and highly favored? Why is she no lifting her hands in adoration unto the Lord?
It seems like to me that Her response was much more subdued and guarded. The New Living Translation uses the words ‘confused’ and ‘disturbed.’ Mary was confused and disturb by the statement that the angel delivers. This alone tells us that this greeting was strange and unusual to Mary and Mary was not expecting it. But this still doesn’t answer the question why was Mary highly favored?
The answer is found in the next few verses: The bible says that the angel says to her. Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most-High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”– Luke 1:30-33.
What we can glean from this I believe is very simple. Mary was highly favored because God chose her to be the one to give birth to Jesus. In other words, God processed her so that he could prepare her. God process Mary’s life just so that she could birth the Savior from her womb.
Some of you don’t know why you have been lied, or why you had to hear the whispering going on behind your back, the disgruntle people on your job back stabbing you, it was all because you were being process.
Notice this was done private, it was personal, she was process so that she could be prepared for what was to come.
This was the favor she had been graced with. It doesn’t mean that Mary was more special or better than anyone else. She too would need to put her trust in Christ for salvation. This favor that she received didn’t mean that she did make any mistakes. But, it meant that God had given her special grace or high favor to carry out this particular assignment. Can I tell somebody this morning that we can all receive favor from God and we often do.
We have every right to claim the blessings and promises of God, on and for our lives, as long as we meet the conditions, because many of the promises and blessings are conditional.
However, this statement of “blessed and highly favored” was neither a promise nor a blessing.
It was a proclamation made by God to a woman named Mary. So, yes, you can experience the blessings of God and be blessed. Yes, you can see and experience the favor of God in your life.
So, how do we claim the promises and the blessings of God?
The answer to this question is very straightforward. You must meet the conditions. Most of the promises of God are conditional. They require something from you in exchange for receiving from God. That something could be faith, obedience, sacrifice, giving, seeking, knocking—but it is something that is given in exchange.
Let me give you an example. The greatest promise we have from God is salvation and eternal life. However, to receive this gift or promise of salvation and eternal life it requires confession, belief in your heart, and repentance from sin.
God is willing to give it freely, but, we have to be willing to ask for it. Therefore, if you don’t meet the condition, you don’t receive the promise.
Unfortunately, too many people want to experience God’s blessings but have no real interest in following God’s conditions.
If you want to experience all God has for you in this life, then you have to be willing to do it his way.
Let me be clear: if you are in Christ you are blessed. Ephesians 1:3 reminds us:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
Where we sometimes go wrong is, we too often equate the blessing of God with only the material things. The blessings of God that matter most are not food, clothing, and money. They are important, but God has far more better blessing in store.
However, the blessings that aren’t always seen are the most important...and the ones that matter most. How important is peace, joy, hope, and confidence in a God who will never leave you or forsake you?
When you grab hold of these spiritual blessings you truly begin to experience God’s favor that shines regardless of the situations you are facing.
So, it is said in verse 30 that the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, wait a minute How shall this be, how is it that I’m going to have a child. seeing that I know not a man? And I don’t have a man or a boo on the side.
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore, also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. 36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing shall be impossible. 38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. So can I tell somebody this morning that the Lord is looking for some more Mary’s to bless, the Lord is looking for those who will follow his Word, and follow his instructions and he will bless you.
But God is looking for some people that will Praise him for what he has done. And that reminds me of a story.
A church ran into difficulty when the elders decided that one man was shouting too much in church. They thought he might disturb the very distinguished guests the church was suddenly now having. So, the elders called the pastor aside and notified him that this shouter must be refrained. The pastor told them "I won't tell him to stop shouting, but I will go with you if you wish to tell him". So, soon off they went to visit this farmer.
As they drove down the dusty road to his house, they found him plowing his huge field with his mule near the fence line. One elder spoke for all of the others, stating how they had voted to ask him to hold the shouting down when in the worship service and the potential problem it would cause.
The old farmer quickly stated, "See that beautiful wife standing over there? God gave her to me. See that beautiful farmhouse? God gave us that house. "See those beautiful children playing in the yard? God gave us those children. See all of this beautiful land? God gave me this land. And since I’m on my own land I think I’ll just shout some more. And Saints you need to shout because you are blessed and favored.
