For more messages from Charles Stanley, including this week’s broadcast, go to intouch.org/tv.
Noah found favor announced the Lord what
he found favor because he listened to
him and because he trusts
so let’s ask yourself the question do
you listen to it do you trust him then
if that’s true in your life then gut
listen God will show you favor in every
single area of your life if in each area
of your life you listen to him and
you’re trusting
[Music]
four decades ago we started in touch
ministries to lead people worldwide into
a growing relationship with Jesus Christ
throughout the years we’ve seen God’s
greatness his love and his blessings in
such awesome ways that we just want
everyone to know him so let’s open God’s
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InTouch walking in the fever of God part
two well the Bible says that Noah found
favor in the eyes of God and when I
think about that I think about what the
Bible says in this agenda Genesis
chapter 6 if you want to turn there for
a moment and the reason he found favor
with the Lord first of all is because he
listened to God that’s what we talked
about last week he listened to God he
found favor in the eyes of the Lord
he not only listened to him whether the
scripture says he also trusted in him
and that’s the part that I want us to
deal with this morning in this passage
he listened to God and then he trusted
him and so when you think about yourself
ask yourself this question do you know
how to listen to God and would you say
that after you listen to him that you
are willing and ready to not only listen
to him but you willing to trust him
think about this you can pray all you
wanna pray if you don’t trust God you’re
wasting your time because faith is
absolutely essential it was absolutely
essential to get you saved it’s
absolutely essential to live the
Christian life and a lot of people say
oh well I’m saved well do you ever
listen to God well no not really
but I know I’m saved well first of all
if you have saved you had to listen to
God because he’s the one who told you
you needed to be saved
and once you listen to him he’s gonna
tell you what to do so you trusted
Christ as your Savior but many people
don’t listen to God and if you don’t
listen to him how can you know whether
you’re doing the right thing or not and
then the you trust him when you ask him
something when you ask God for something
do you close your prayer with a sense of
expectation of God answering your
requests or do you do like most people
do and that is they pray and talk to God
about this and yell and say Amen Jesus
name Amen get up walk away first of all
we must listen to him and secondly we
must trust him and that’s what this
passage is all about in this sermon is
all about so we talked about what is the
favor of God the favor of God is his
acceptance of us his approval of us his
support of us his provision for us his
divine energy he provides for us and his
joy so with that in mind I want you to
turn to proverbs chapter 3 because this
is an awesome passage of Scripture and
it’s really the way Noah lived in these
days when he heard the Lord so look in
proverbs chapter 3 beginning in verse 5
the scripture says trust in the Lord
with all your heart do not lean on your
own understanding
trusting in all of your ways acknowledge
him trusting and he will make your paths
straight
trust him do not be wise in your own
eyes fear the Lord and turn away from
evil so their first responsibility is to
listen to him so I would ask you this
question do you take time to listen to
God and not just kneel or whatever you
do and start doing the talking and
secondly once you pray do you
begin to think about what you’ve prayed
about and begin to think well this is
what I’ve asked God for do you trust
them do you have a sense of expectation
when you get up off your knees that’s
not with me to say it this happens to be
the way I pray when you finish do you
expect him to do something about what
you said and I think most people don’t
pray that way they talk to God telling
them what they wanted to do and so what
they need him to do and then say in
Jesus name Amen
no wait a minute if I’m really gonna ask
him that am I gonna trust him do I stand
up sit up walk away
say yes God I’ve asked you this I’m
expecting I’m trusting you to answer my
petition and if you do not end your
prayer with a sense of trust you just
mumbling words so if you will think
about this your entire relationship is
built on that how did you get saved you
got saved by listening to the Word of
God and you got saved by trusting that
what God said he would do amen
that’s that’s pretty weak amen you you
you trusted him
to save you and all you did was to ask
him verbally repent of your sins confess
your sin and and you asked him that and
then you got up walked away and you
trusted yard that he answered your
prayer so the reason Noah found favor in
the eyes of God is first of all he
listened to you what God said to him and
secondly he trusted him and we we know
the story so I want you to turn back to
this sixth chapter for a moment because
he’s a perfect example of the absolutely
three essentials if God’s gonna work in
that life and we’re going to accomplish
what he wants us to accomplish first of
all to listen to him secondly to trust
him so I want us to look at this in the
light of the character of Noah what kind
of fellow was he and the way God said
for him to look at his society here’s
what he said
in the 6th chapter that God saw the
wickedness of man in verse 5 was great
on the earth and that every intent of
the thoughts of his heart was only evil
continually
the Lord was sorry that he made him on
the earth he was grieved in his heart
the Lord said I will blot out man whom I
have created from the face of this land
from Manta animals creeping things the
birds of the sky for I am sorry that
I’ve made them but Noah found favor in
the eyes of the Lord this was a horrible
society that he was in and God spoke to
him and God looked upon Noah and
different from all the other people and
what he saw was he saw man it had a
different view and so he description
says he found favor in the eyes of the
Lord now look at this these are the
records of the generations of Noah Noah
was a righteous man blameless in his
time nor walked with God now think about
this seriously can it be said of you by
your three ways conversation your
conduct and your character that you are
a person who walks with God when
somebody thinks about you some friend
that somebody you work with what it in
your family whatever it may be would you
say that that’s the way they say you by
your very character your conduct do do
they see as a person who walks with God
or we all see in just a moment as we
begin to look at all these things so I
want us to look at to see a God’s view
of Noah and he said first of all found
favor in the eyes of the Lord
his record was righteous blameless in
his time Noah walked with God can that
be said of us if that not cannot be said
of us what can people say that you’re
rich well that’s you’re famous that
you’re busy you’re a good employee
you’re a good manager you’re a great
neighbor
you get a church person you attend
church you listen what can they say what
would be more powerful to be said of you
than you walked with God you walked in
that you were you had favor with the
Lord
we have favor with the Lord when we
listen to him and when we trust him and
that is true in the life of Noah so I
wants to think about it for just a
moment God said to him Lord it’s only
unrighteousness and sinfulness and
wicked everywhere I have found in you a
blameless man so here’s what I want you
to do and so God began to speak to him
and he commanded him to build this arch
now what in the world was an ark nobody
ever heard of an ark before it wouldn’t
have any idea what it was and so when
you think about something 450 feet long
and about 50 feet wide and about three
stories high and so the Lord spoke to
him and then the question was was he
going to trust what God said but you see
he walked with God and the scripture
said he had favor with the Lord now
watch this carefully you listen say Amen
when you ask God for something and he
gives you the first step it may be a
juvenile step it may be something very
very simple that anybody could do or you
go whatever God has said to you when he
gives you the first step and you don’t
take the first step you miss it now
human nature says what well God if you
show me how tell me how I’m gonna do
this and I’ll do it now God said yet
busy so he had to get busy doing the
first thing God told him to do so I
wanna ask you a question when you have a
impression a deep impression in your own
heart about something God wants you to
do do you give him some excuse for not
moving ahead saying okay God whatever
you say or do you have to have a next
halation for everything I think about
many things God has said to me that he
didn’t explain if he did explain about
probably without a bigger problem
he just says just what I want you to do
trust me not only listen to me but trust
me there are three key words in Noah’s
life listen to me trust me and obey me
those are the three bottom line
questions in life
trust me listen to me obey me and so he
had to deal with this he simply said to
Noah Noah I found in you a righteous
person blameless is what I want you to
do and so that’s his instructions at the
time so I’m asking you when you ask God
about something and God gives you
whatever you call whatever you receive I
just say God spoke to my heart and said
that’s the way I hear it when he does
what do you do the Bible said he walked
with God and he had favor with God so
the challenge to him was his faith am I
going to do what God said do why he said
do it even though I don’t understand any
possibility of it I don’t know what this
looks like so think about this when he
did he had a head-on collision with his
society think about it he was the only
righteous person and here he’s beginning
to do something that is totally
unbelievable
looks absolutely ridiculous only
somebody out of his mind would even
think about such a thing
not only attempting to do it watch this
carefully there will be times when God
will tell you to do something that
nobody else will probably agree with or
even you may not understand it but
that’s not a sign for you and not to
obey God you do what he says do when he
says to do it how he says do it and what
you do you leave the consequences to him
when you obey Him you can you can leave
all that you can leave all the
responsibilities to him so let’s think
about it for a moment he had a head-on
collision think about the public uproar
when Noah begins this construction of
something that looks like it’s going to
be huge and wonder how he thinks he’s
going to do all this so he had a head-on
collision with his Society they didn’t
understand it and thought it was messy
and you know mess up that beautiful
terrain so forth and secondly when he
says God told him to do it
watch this who is this God that’s told
you to do this which seems impossible
well what did that there that gave no an
opportunity to tell them who God is then
they understand that no did they believe
it no how do I know that simple reason
they’ve got to wipe them all out so that
they want to know who is this God who’s
told you to do that let me ask you a
question have you ever told somebody
something that God told you and they
said well what kind of your author was
that God doesn’t speak to me either way
who is this God that told you that you
God doesn’t talk to me that way yeah
wants them all out said something that
God told me it didn’t that’s what
somebody would say well God never tells
me things like there maybe you don’t ask
him big watch this
God doesn’t treat us all the same way
it’s it depends upon his will for your
life and what I want you to see is that
our responsibilities before God is not
to answer all the questions but to
listen to him and the trusting because
if you don’t trust them and nothing else
is going to work in your life think
about it you don’t have four wheels on
the car it’s not your that way you don’t
have any trust for God you’re not doing
in who are in life so this God you
worship how you gonna find answers no
you don’t look like a rich man well how
did he finance I don’t have any idea how
God provided but one thing I know for
sure watch this if God tells you to do
something God assumes responsibility for
making means whatever is net
sir for you to be able to do his will
whatever it is and if you always wait
till you have all the answers in life
God will never be able to bless you the
way he wants to bless you he listened to
God did you get that yes and what else
did he do come on now he listened to God
and what else did he did trusted him and
that’s what other people get hung up on
here’s what I believe God said but he
surely he didn’t say that and that must
have been probably what Noah was
thinking when God first told him to do
this because if you think about what if
you think about him about what he tell
him to do and he said here’s what I’m
gonna do
and he says make for yourself an ark of
gopher wood and then he describes
everything he describes it’s gonna be
450 feet long 51 3 stories I know it’s
how but he listened to him and having
listened to him he trusted God now watch
what happens the reason he had the
courage that he had was God had spoken
to him and he trusted the God that he’d
been worshiping to fulfill his promise
and so what happens God said here the
plans I’ll answer the questions watch
this
God is just as willing to give you as
clear an answer to your request when
those requests are sincerely offered to
God cried out to him as he did as he did
to know we’re just not billing arks
we’re doing something else we are
purchasing something or moving somewhere
or doing something whatever it might be
we have a right to ask God what do I do
next how many times do you think Noah
said yeah
you mean 450 feet long
yeah right here listen there’s nothing
in the Bible that says I should never
ask any questions but to doubt the Word
of God is something else but listen the
Bible says Noah found favor announced
the Lord what he found favor because he
listened to him and because he trusts
them so let’s ask yourself the question
do you listen to him do you trust him
then if that’s true in your life then
gut listen God will show you favor in
every single area of your life if in
each area of your life you listen to him
and you’re trusting that’s 2/3 of it
we’re in the process of trusting him and
what’s God’s gonna do he’s gonna bless
whatever you do and no it’s such a
perfect example listeners of everyday
life everyday life what do you do you
listen to him you trust him and if you
wise you obey Him abc123 now think about
this what do you need to add to that
formula for living I think the Bible is
absolutely I can hardly describe it in
one story thousands of years ago that in
one man God laid us down the foundation
that live every single day of our life
listen to him trust him and obey can you
beat that no if you can count to 1 2 3
or ABC you have God’s solution for
living life and a wicked vile sinful
corrupt unrighteous world and we want to
make it complicated now they’d heard of
this one true God and I’m sure he tried
to tell him that who that was and I can
imagine what they must have said to him
God who is this God why are you then
why are you the only one who’s heard
from him why isn’t somebody else from
him because God said they were wicked as
the devil and they paid no attention to
God the world was so corrupt the judge
said I’m gonna I’m gonna wipe this whole
thing yet start all over again now this
is so simple the five-year-old could get
it now watch this you can take that
formula to any single part of your life
what do you teach your children listen
to you trust you and obey you
and so when you think about how Noah
expressed his courage and his trust in
God it was so simple to him and think
about this there wasn’t into such thing
he’s one of the first guys in here
what’s no such thing all he had was the
voice of God speaking to his mind his
heart to his spirit because he was
attempting to live a righteous holy and
godly life probably knowing very little
about God but God that made it less
clear to him that he knew to obey the
voice that was within him and he showed
him how to do the impossible
and thousands of years later we find in
one man they key to living life you know
I can just stop right there and praise
God the rest of the day you listen to
him
you trust him in you obey Him and so
when I think about that I think about
when you trust God sometimes you’ve been
situations where watch this nobody else
understood him nobody understood him
think about how simple and profound this
is that God said to one man and the only
man on the earth and his family whom God
would save from absolute total
structure of society one man I’m gonna
this is a reason I’m gonna I’m gonna
favor you with life you listen to me you
trust me and now you willing to obey me
one of the most important men in the
Bible teaches us in the beginning of the
Bible how to live our life the rest of
our life the way you live a godly life
the way you live the Christian life is
you listen to God and you listen to God
by primarily about reading it in his
word you trust what it says then you
obey what it says if you think about how
awesome God is that he has all knowledge
about all things he has all power in
every single circumstance of life
nothing beyond him and what does he do
he boils it all down the three things I
want you to do I want you to listen to
me I want you to trust me I want you to
baby and you know I think about this I
think about how many millions and
millions of volumes written about the
Word of God about so many aspects of the
Word of God and we just put it down in
one sense that’s what everything in this
Bible is an explanation of or an
illustration of the failure or their
willingness to listen to trust them in
to obey and we sing it trust and obey
but there’s no other way to be happy in
Jesus but they forgot one thing
listen trust and obey for there’s no
other way to be happy in Jesus but to
listen to him trust him and obey Him how
could you ever forget this sermon it has
nothing to do with me it has to do with
a simple truth of God’s Word and the
next time you read
still ring of Noah you’ll remember this
you listen to him you trust him in the
oh babe
and some somebodies and so what happened
what happened was the whole world was
destroyed and no one bunch of animals
came out alive was Noah perfect man
though it wasn’t but he listened to God
he trusted what he said and he obeyed
him and maybe you’ve never trusted Jesus
as your Savior you don’t know what all
this is about this is all about this
that God loves you he has a plan for
your life if you listen to him and
you’ll follow his leadership and his
guidance that is if you will trust him
with your life your future and obey Him
you’ll find life at its very best if you
fail to do that you’re on your own
God’s not gonna force you he gives you a
choice a fantastic choice an awesome
choice you have to decide now think
about it only three things and you’re
gonna listen to him will you trust him
and will you obey if you want life at
it’s very very best no matter who you
are that’s the solution right there
amen father we love you and praise you
and thank you for this simple childlike
study that is so profound and I pray the
Holy Spirit will speak to somebody here
who’s never been saved because I hadn’t
been listening
afraid that they’ve listened today they
will ‘trust you to forgive them no
matter what they’ve done they will until
Bay you today
trustee use their saving their Lord
we’re gonna trust you for now in Jesus
name Amen if you’ve been blessed by
today’s program please visit us at
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