The Secret to the Favor of God
About this sermon
Pastor Dean Odle's “secret” to God's favor is deliberately simple: humility expressed through courageous obedience. Using Israel's refusal to enter Canaan in Numbers 13-14, he contrasts Joshua and Caleb's confidence in God's promise with the majority's fear, unbelief, and rebellion. God does not remove every giant or stronghold beforehand; He calls His people to become co-laborers who pray, obey, fight, and grow in faith while depending on His grace.
Chronological teaching outline
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The opening worship emphasizes listening to God and offering a humble sacrifice. Odle then warns that doctrines which remove repentance and obedience can turn grace into permission for habitual sin.
Numbers 13 introduces the promised land, its fruit, its fortified cities, and its giants. The majority report magnifies obstacles, while Joshua and Caleb magnify God's promise.
Odle states the sermon's central answer: do what God says, even when afraid. Courage is not the absence of fear but the refusal to let fear overrule obedience.
The sermon distinguishes believers who hate sin and keep seeking freedom from those who knowingly choose habitual indulgence. God's patience is not approval of defiance.
Fearful retreat is interpreted as self-preservation and pride when God has clearly commanded action. Christ's humility and obedience provide the contrary pattern.
First Peter 5 grounds the title: God actively resists pride but gives grace and favor to those who humble themselves under His hand.
Odle recounts seasons in which ministry success coexisted with private disorder and explains why being set down and corrected was mercy. Ministry must not replace one's identity as a Christian walking with God.
The final appeal calls believers to welcome conviction, obey known truth, change course when the Spirit corrects them, and depend on grace rather than spiritual boasting.
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Lightly edited for readability while preserving the speaker’s meaning and substantive statements.
- 0:00:02
[music] Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Jesus. The Lord is showing me lately that uh sometimes I just need to hush my mouth and to love on him and listen for him. The Lord is just showing me lately [music] And I just love the Lord so much. [music] He loves it when we love on him. You are God in [music] heaven [singing] and here am I on earth. So [singing] I'll let [music] my works beused. [music] Jesus, [singing] I am so in love with you. [music] And I'll [singing] stand in all [singing] of [music] you, Jesus. And I'll [music and singing] stand I'll stand in all of you. [music] I'll let my words [singing] be few. [music] Oh [singing] Jesus, I I [music] am so in love with you. Yes. [music] The simplest [singing] of all of songs I want [singing and music] to sing to you. So [music and singing] I'll let my words be few, [music] Jesus. I am so in love with [singing] you. [music] We're already standing. So let's stand and I'll stand. I'm standing [singing and music] all in all of you. [music] Oh Jesus. Yes. I'll stand. [music and singing] I'll stand in all [singing] of you. [music] And I'll let [singing] my words be. [music] [singing] Lord Jesus, I am so in love with you.
- 0:03:07
[singing and music] I love it. Thank you, Lord Jesus. [music] Let's sing that again. [singing] Lord, I'll stand I'll stand [music] in [singing] you, Jesus. Sing it with me. Yes, I'll [music and singing] stand in all of you. [music] I'll let [singing] my words be few. Yes, [music] Lord. And I'll let my [singing] words be [music] few. And I'll let [singing] my words be few. Jesus, [singing and music] I am so with [singing and music] you. [music] Sometimes [music and singing] the Lord just wants us to listen. [music] And I'll let [music and singing] my words be, Lord Jesus. [music and singing] I am so in love with [music and singing] you. [music] [music] Thank you, Jesus. [music] Thank you, Lord. Lord, we love you this morning. [music] We just thank you for your presence, Lord. We just say, "Holy Spirit, [music] come into this place." And and Lord, I just pray that, [clears throat] [music] Lord, that you would just remove everything in us, Lord, that that's not pleasing to you, Lord. And and we just [music] declare this morning, Lord, that we can't do anything without you, God. That you're our [music] source for everything good, Lord. And we love you this morning, Lord. We do stand in [music] all of you, God. You are so good. Thank you, Jesus. Just [music] thank the Lord this morning. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. You're so good. Praise you. [music] I'm caught up in your presence [singing] and I [singing] just want to sit here at your feet.
- 0:06:18
I'm caught up in this holy [singing] moment and I [singing] never want to leave. No, I'm not here for blessings. [singing] And Jesus, you don't owe [singing] me anything more than anything [singing] that you can do. I just [singing and music] want you. Tell him this morning. And I'm sorry [singing and music] when I've just gone through the motions. I'm sorry [music] when I [singing] just sang another song. Take me back to where we started. And I open [singing] up my heart [music] to you, Lord. And I'm [singing] sorry [music] when I've come with my agenda. [singing] And I'm sorry [music] when I forgot [singing] that you're enough. Take me back to where we started. I [singing] open up my heart to you. [music] Cuz I just want you, Lord. Cuz I [singing] just want you. And nothing else. No, nothing else. [music] Nothing else will do. [singing] I just want you. [music] Nothing else. [singing] No, nothing else. [music] Nothing else will [singing] do. I just want you. [music] Nothing else. [singing] No, nothing else. Nothing else will do again. I just [singing] want you. Nothing else. [music] Nothing else. Nothing else will [singing] do. When the music fades and all is stripped [music] away and I [singing] simply come, Lord, we simply come [music] longing just [singing] to bring something that's of worth that will bless your [singing] heart. And I'll [music] bring [singing] you more than a song. For song in itself is not what [singing] you have required.
- 0:09:18
[music] You search much deeper [singing] within. Through the way things appear, you're looking [singing] into my heart. I'm coming back now. [singing] I'm coming back to the [music] heart of worship. [singing] It's all about you. It's all about you, Jesus. And I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made [singing] it. When it's all about you, it's all about [music] you, Jesus. I'm coming back. Coming back to the [singing and music] heart of worship. when it's all about you. It's all [music and singing] about you, Jesus. And I'm sorry, Lord, [music] for the [singing] thing I've made it, but it's all about you. It's all [singing] about you, Jesus. Jesus, [singing] Jesus. [singing] [music] Cuz I just want you. Nothing else or nothing else. [music] Nothing else will [singing] do. I just want you. Nothing else, [singing] Lord. Nothing else. Nothing else will [singing and music] do again. I just want you. Nothing else [singing] or nothing else. Nothing else [singing] will do. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. We just want you, [music] Lord, today, Lord. Nothing else, Lord. Lord, we just [music] lay down everything that hinders us from coming and just worshiping you, Lord, with all of our hearts, Lord. Thank you, [music] Jesus. Thank you, Lord. Lord, we just bring to [music] you a an offering, Lord. We give to you this morning, Lord, what we have to give, which is our surrender to you, Lord. We just surrender. Just surrender [music] to the Lord this morning. That's that's what he requires of us. So Lord, [music] we just bring our offering. Thank you Lord. I bring a fragrant offering. Thank you Jesus. Lord, let it be [music] pleasing to you Lord.
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