The Golden Staircase: How Favour Takes You From Pit to Palace
Dr RJ Sing, 37 min, Part 3 of Favor: The Road to Success
Originally preached as “Favor: The Road to Success, Part 3”
Sermon outline
Favour is God's golden staircase from the pit to the palace: it rewards even small acts of obedience and can accelerate your destiny in a single day, so expect it, speak it and make room for increase.
Main text
- 1 Peter 3:12
Opening
He welcomes the church family and viewers around the world to Part 3 of Favour: The Road to Success. He prays that the Word would flow without any satanic interruption and be heard with clarity, precision and godly wisdom, and says he trusts the Word to edify him as much as it edifies his viewers.
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
God's eyes are on the righteous and his ears are open to their prayers, but his face is against those who practise evil, to frustrate and defeat them. Evil conduct shuts off favour and brings loss. When you please the Lord in your ways and doings, favour begins to work and to grow until you enjoy a favour-filled life.
“If your conduct is evil before the Lord, the Lord will work against you.”
- 1 Peter 3:12
You will lose nothing
When Peter said the disciples had abandoned everything to follow him, Jesus assured him that whatever is given up for his sake returns a hundred times over in this life. The same applies to us today. He mentions thirty, sixty, a hundred and a thousandfold, and asks viewers to shelve the thousandfold until he brings that teaching.
“Whatever you lost, you're going to get back in this lifetime a hundred times over.”
- Mark 10:28-30
- Matthew 13:8
Favour is the golden staircase from the pit to the palace
Favour is friendly and kind regard, goodwill and partiality that gives you advantages and special privileges; it is God himself being kind and friendly to you. Through the blood of Jesus we have a blood-bought right to ask, so don't pray little prayers, ask big ones. Whatever crisis or mountain you face, favour is the divine current from your present season to your future season.
“Favor is the golden staircase that lifts you up from your pit to your palace.”
Favour is a reward for small acts of obedience
Favour is when someone desires to solve a problem you cannot solve alone. Pause to see who has encouraged, motivated and blessed you along the way, because that is where favour is resting, and lower your walls of distrust so God can use relatives, friends and neighbours to help you. Favour is not an accident: the willing and obedient eat the good of the land.
“God uses favor as a reward system for even small acts of obedience to his principles.”
- Isaiah 1:19
Favour is a gift, and it is necessary for uncommon success
Hundreds of millions struggle while others enjoy favour, yet God wants everyone to enjoy it, and unless the Lord builds the house the builders labour in vain. When favour flows, the river widens until the banks overflow, and he prophesies favour flowing into viewers' homes from that day. Favour brings giant leaps, and God blesses all the works of your hands, not some, so that you are altogether joyful.
Illustration: Mom or dad coming down the driveway smiling, with good news for the family after a day of favour.
“Favor is necessary for uncommon success.”
- Psalm 127:1
- Deuteronomy 16:15
Favour accelerates your destiny
Favour begins when you solve a problem for someone, as Joseph did for Pharaoh, and it shortens the distance of your journey: Joseph went from two years in prison to prime minister in 24 hours. Expect favour and respect it so you taste its momentum; it made Ruth a wealthy wife and Esther a queen in a day, and it can double your worth. Trials come to make you give up, so keep pressing forward, because your favour could be right around the corner.
Illustration: He tells of seeing on television how Kamala Harris went to work one morning and by the afternoon was told she would be vice president, and imagines her family's joy. He also tells how he meditated aloud on his little printed book, The Promises of God on Favour, until favour seeped into his life.
“Favor accelerates your destiny. It shortens the distance of your journey.”
- Jonah 3:3-4
- Luke 2:52
- Ruth 4:13
- Esther 2:16
When favour stops
Favour stops when the tithe is withheld from God and when you deliberately ignore his instruction, as Saul did when he spared Agag and the best of the flocks. You will know when something is wrong, but a mistake can be put right: ask the Lord to forgive you and begin the journey again. When God gives you an instruction, be quick to obey it.
“When you make a mistake, you can rectify the mistake.”
- Malachi 3:8-9
- 1 Samuel 15:9-11
- 1 Samuel 15:26
Make space for your increase
He prophesies promotion, seeing angels bringing good things and contracts, and declares that 2021 will not be like 2020. Dream bigger and ask bigger, because God is not stingy but liberal. Guard your mouth, use it to speak favour rather than against it, and forget the level you begin at, because God can take you higher from any level.
“Your God is not a stingy God, but your God is a liberal God who wants to give to you.”
- Hebrews 3:1
- Psalm 141:3
Putting it into practice
- Please the Lord in your ways and your doings.
- Notice and honour the people God has used to help you, and lower your walls of distrust.
- Be quick to obey God's instructions and keep tithing.
- Say out loud every day that favour is coming to you, and keep pressing on through trials.
- Dream bigger, ask bigger and make space for increase.
Closing
He asks viewers to stretch out a hand, touch their device or hold someone's hand, then commands the storms to be still and declares they are going to the other side. He prays for the sick to rise up, for sight, hearing and speech to be restored, and commands the coronavirus to die at its roots, then invites viewers to return next week for Part 4 and to bring someone with them.
Declarations he led
- Favor's coming to me. Favor's visiting me.
- Favor's coming your way.
- Favor has hit my house.
- Jesus is the apostle and high priest over my profession. And what I profess is the word of God concerning favor over my life.
- The Lord helps me guard the door of my mouth and trains me not to speak against the favor at work in my life.
In his words
- “Favor is the golden staircase that lifts you up from your pit to your palace.”
- “God uses favor as a reward system for even small acts of obedience to his principles.”
- “When you expect something, you attract it.”
- “Don't stop until favor hits your life.”
- “Your God is not a stingy God, but your God is a liberal God who wants to give to you.”
Every scripture in this message
- 1 Peter 3:12
- Mark 10:28-30
- Matthew 13:8
- Isaiah 1:19
- Psalm 127:1
- Deuteronomy 16:15
- Jonah 3:3-4
- Luke 2:52
- Ruth 4:13
- Esther 2:16
- Malachi 3:8-9
- 1 Samuel 15:9-11
- 1 Samuel 15:26
- Hebrews 3:1
- Psalm 141:3
- Mark 4:35-39
- Psalm 118:17
- Psalm 91:16
